NEW YORK, NY – Yohenry Brito, one of the illegal migrants involved in a violent attack on two New York Police Department officers in Times Square last month, has been indicted by a grand jury. The incident, caught on video, involved a mob of migrants kicking and punching the officers near the New Amsterdam theater.
The grand jury charges for Brito remained under seal as of Tuesday, according to a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Brito had been previously led into New York Criminal Court in shackles to answer two misdemeanor charges related to shoplifting, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Of the seven migrants arrested in connection to the attack, Brito is the only one held on bail and the only one to have been indicted so far. Several others are understood to have left New York after being released. A video of the incident and another of one of the immigrants giving the middle finger after being released sparked widespread condemnation.
Brito, who has distinctive tattoos on his neck, has been held on Rikers Island since his arrest and is scheduled to appear in court to answer the misdemeanor charges on April 3. He will also be arraigned on the charges in his sealed indictment in New York Supreme Court on March 25.
The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York (PBA) President Patrick Hendry stated that the indictment is “just one small step towards justice” for the injured officers and emphasized the need for all the participants in the attack to be behind bars.
In a separate development, ICE and Homeland Security Investigations arrested migrants involved in the attack at a Greyhound bus station in Phoenix. However, the identities of the suspects arrested have not been released.