NYPD officers attacked: Bodycam video shows men beat up cops near Times Square migrant shelter
NEW YORK CITY - Police released body camera footage showing multiple angles of the attack on two NYPD officers by a group of men back on Jan. 27 in Times Square.
According to police, the officers are seen on video instructing the men to go to W. 41st St.
"A large group of these males, Mr. Britto included, are standing in front of a shelter and they're blocking 42nd St., forcing people to walk around them," said Joe Kenny, NYPD's chief of detectives.
Britto, the only suspect currently held at Rikers Island, is seen on body cam footage telling the officers 'don't touch me' before seconds later, after he grabs a stroller and begins walking, one of the officers grabs him and pins him against the wall.
Britto asks in Spanish, 'Why are you stopping me?
"He refused a lawful order. They attempted to place him under arrest and then the melee begins," Kenny told reporters.
The incident turned physical as the men around Britto responded to his arrest, kicking and striking officers. Britto then comes out of shirt and more of the men, prosecutors said a total of 14, jump in, kicking the officers.
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Police initially arrested four people, and then a fifth person a few days later, but outrage grew after all were released without bail.
Meanwhile, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced Thursday a grand jury returned six additional indictments against the suspects involved in the assault.
"I stand here today confident that we have identified the roles of every person that broke the law and participated in this heinous attack," Bragg stated.
DA Bragg went down the line, detailing each individual charged in the incident and their role in the assault. They're all accused of striking one of the officers, if not both.
"The five who've had their charges unsealed all face felony charges," Bragg said. "Four face a top assault charge of second degree, one faces a top charge of tampering with physical evidence, while the remaining two charges are unsealed."
‘He wanted to get it right’
Mayor Eric Adams supported Bragg’s resistance to rush the prosecution, a source of nation-wide scrutiny following the assault.
"He wanted to get it right, Adams said. "He was very clear that some of the video surveillance in some of the pictures and some of the switching of clothing not only shows the thoroughness of the investigation but how sophisticated these individuals were."
Adams called the act an 'attack on our symbols of justice' as the search continues for the suspects still on the loose, adding if those accused are found guilty, the federal government should do their job and deport them from the city.