NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is under fire for his decision to release all but one of the migrants involved in a brutal attack on two New York Police Department officers without seeking bail.
Bragg announced a grand jury will take up the case Tuesday.
“This is the beginning of the process. We will go forward to indictments, and we will hold those accountable who did these heinous attacks,” Bragg said.
NYPD officials said the officers were trying to move an unruly crowd outside the Chandler Building around 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 27 when one person became confrontational.
The NYPD released a video of the incident which sparked outrage. Surveillance video shows the officers talking with a group of men. Then, the officers tried to arrest one of the men, which is when other members of the group began repeatedly kicking the officers.
Police arrested four of the men on Jan. 27. They were charged with assault of a police officer, gang assault obstruction, obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct. A fifth man was charged on Jan. 29 with attempted assault on a police officer and gang assault.
All of the migrants except for one were released without bail, prompting criticism of New York’s bail laws. Law enforcement is still searching for seven others in connection to the attack.
Many of the men, unidentified and vanished, pose a challenge for police, even with a potential indictment being used in tracking them down.
NYPD sources suspect four of the alleged attackers have already fled to California ahead of their next court date in March.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Gov. Kathy Hochul aren’t holding back on how they believe the assault should have been handled.
“Bail should have been set on those individuals. It was a serious felony, and bail should have been set. Why it was not set, I do not know,” James said.
“Right now, they should be sitting in Rikers,” Hochul said.
It’s unclear if the FBI is searching for the four suspects who fled across state lines.
The NYPD officers only sustained minor injuries, including general body pains and one with a laceration to the nose. They were treated on the scene.