Illegal Immigrants Suspected of Beating NYPD Cops Arrested in Arizona

Illegal immigrants attack two New York Police Department officers outside a shelter in New York on Jan. 27, 2024. Still from video courtesy of New York Police Department

Several of the illegal immigrants believed to be involved in the beating of two police officers in New York have been arrested in Phoenix, Arizona, according to an official.

A spokesperson for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sources told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that, on Feb. 5, special agents from multiple law enforcement agencies arrested four individuals on a bus from El Paso, Texas, on its way to the Greyhound bus station in Phoenix.

“The subjects were believed to be fleeing the state of New York from their suspected involvement in a coordinated assault on multiple New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officers,” said Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe, ICE acting deputy press secretary.

Ms. O'Keefe added that the four individuals were transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to be processed for immigration violations.

Special agents from ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Border Patrol took part in the operation.

A photo of three handcuffed individuals sitting on the ground, their faces blurred, was provided by ICE sources to Fox News.

The identities of the arrested suspects are unclear.

Six individuals were arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 27 cop-beating near Times Square, but most were released without bail: Yorman Reveron (24), Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel (19), Wilson Juarez (21), Kelvin Servita Arocha (19), Jhoan Boada (22), and Yohenry Brito (24).

It was rumored that four of the suspects skipped town on a bus headed to California: Mr. Gomez-Izquiel, Mr. Arocha, Mr. Juarez, and Mr. Reveron.

Law enforcement sources told The New York Post that investigators are working to determine if the four illegal immigrants arrested in Phoenix match the four who allegedly left New York on a bus headed to California after giving fake names to a church-affiliated nonprofit that helps asylum-seekers get rides out of the Big Apple.

The Incident

Two NYPD officers were assaulted near Times Square on Jan. 27 when officers tried to disperse a group outside a shelter.

The confrontation quickly turned into a brutal attack, with a video showing men kicking and punching the two officers.

The two officers suffered minor injuries, including facial cuts and body bruises, and were treated at the scene.

Initially, police arrested five men in connection with the incident. Later, two more were taken into custody but the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office decided not to charge one of them.

Only one suspect was ordered held on bail.

NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell criticized the decision to release four of the suspects without bail, calling it “reprehensible,” and saying the “cowards” should be in jail.

Those who “were arrested should be sitting in Rikers right now on bail. They should be indicted this week and taken off our streets.

“Do you want to know why our cops are getting assaulted? There are no consequences,” Mr. Chell told reporters during a news conference.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also expressed disappointment during a Feb. 2 press conference that the suspects involved in the assault on police officers were released on bail.

She said, “All I know is that an assault on a police officer means that you be sitting in jail.”

Police said that they will continue to search for at least eight other people involved in the attack.

NYPD Assistant Commissioner Kaz Daughtry vowed to find the remaining suspects.

“We will comb this globe to look for you and bring you to justice,” he said, according to ABC7.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said that it didn’t request bail for most of the suspects, saying prosecutors were in the process of gathering additional video evidence of the attack.

The incident drew outrage, including calls for deportation and to get tougher on crime.

Deportation Calls

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Feb. 5 called for the people involved in the assault on the NYPD officers to be prosecuted, punished, and deported.

“The Police Department has a job to do apprehensions, the prosecutor has a job to prosecute, and the federal government has a job to determine, if a person is here as a migrant and asylum seeker, should determine if they’re found guilty and they do their time they should be deported,” Mr. Adams said during a press conference.

“You should not be allowed to walk the streets of the City of New York if you are committing any form of criminal behavior that’s impacting the quality of life of New Yorkers,” he added.

Ms. Hochul took a similar position during her Feb. 2 press conference, noting that assault on a police officer is among over 100 crimes that can “lead to deportation,” adding that she plans on speaking with the Manhattan District Attorney to discuss “options.”

It comes amid a massive influx of illegal immigrants to New York City.

Mr. Adams said in a State of the City address at the end of January that 172,000 illegal immigrants have come to New York City over the past year or so.

He warned in September 2023 that the unending influx would “destroy New York City.”

He has also pleaded for federal help, lamenting that the Biden administration’s lack of action was leaving cities to fend for themselves.

*This article has been updated with comments received from ICE.