About a dozen gang members, like seriously, attacked two NYPD officers in Times Square, police said, as the city was all buzzed up playing host to a high-profile night of boxing in the middle of the popular tourist destination. The incident went down on a Friday night, right around the same time the boxing matches were happening at the Crossroads of the World, featuring the Ryan Garcia-Rolly Romero bout. It was crazy, right?
According to the police, surveillance video caught the suspects turning on the NYPD officers as they tried to stop some teen suspects from pulling off what seemed like an assault. The group, like, totally tried to mess things up by throwing bottles and going after the officers, the police claimed. Can you believe that?
Law enforcement officials revealed that several of the suspects were believed to be migrants who were part of the Los Diablos 42 gang, which is like some branch of the Tren de Aragua gang. Some of these suspects were crashing at migrant shelters, including this one dude who was chilling at the Roosevelt Hotel. Talk about bold moves, am I right?
So, get this, many of these suspects are actually under 18 years old — with one even as young as 12, can you believe it? The ones who got nabbed so far are facing charges of riot, attempting to assault a police officer, and having a weapon illegally. It’s like a whole mess unfolding right here.
Investigators spilled the tea that several of these suspected gang members might be the same ones causing chaos with a series of attacks that were part of a robbery wave in Central Park during Summer 2024. Like, what in the world is going on, right?
The cops managed to lock up four suspects, but there’s still a search on for about seven others. Police mentioned that several of these suspects have had run-ins with the law before for robbery and burglary. A photo from inside the Midtown precinct even showed at least one teen throwing up hand signs for the camera. Talk about nerve, huh?
NBC New York decided not to drop names of the suspects because of their age. The NYPD came out with a statement saying that attacking officers is a big no-no and that this whole incident is a reminder of the risks that NYPD cops face daily to keep New Yorkers safe. They gave props to the detectives for swooping in quickly to make arrests the day after the drama, while the hunt for others involved was still on.
In response to the whole mess, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City said in a statement, “Let’s be clear: We will NOT tolerate anyone attacking the symbol of public safety in our city.” You tell ’em, Mayor!
Mayor Adams even invited the two officers caught up in the incident to meet with him at City Hall on Monday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were around the precinct at the same time some of the suspects were getting grilled. But, like, some officials mentioned that the feds were just stopping by Midtown South to use the restroom during an unrelated immigration stakeout. What a coincidence, right?
The police had to clear things up about the ICE agents showing up, saying in their statement that as per the law, the NYPD doesn’t get involved in civil immigration enforcement. Let’s hope everything stays legit, you know?
This whole incident comes right after the chaos in January 2024 when a group of migrants went off attacking NYPD cops along West 42nd Street. It was all over the news, sparking debates about immigration and sanctuary city policies. Like, it’s a hot mess out there, isn’t it?
And that’s the scoop on what went down in Times Square, folks. Stay tuned for more updates as this story unfolds. It’s like a rollercoaster ride through the city streets, you never know what’s coming next!
