A group of young men accused of attacking a pair of NYPD officers over the weekend have been released without bail.
While leaving court, one suspect took a defiant stance, flashing obscene gestures at reporters.
Saturday's night assault and Wednesday's display led a top NYPD official to call the suspects “cowards” who “should be sitting on Rikers Island.”
New York City's Daily News reports:
“You saw the video. Reprehensible,” NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters following the annual State of the NYPD Breakfast at Cipriani 42nd St., about five blocks from where the attack took place. “(They're) cowards. You have eight people attacking a lieutenant and a cop, running up to them to kick them in the face.”
The two cops were trying to quell a disorderly group outside the Candler Building moments before the brawl broke out about 8:30 p.m., surveillance video released by police shows. When the two officers try to put a man in a yellow jacket under arrest, they're suddenly attacked by multiple people from all sides.
“They were kicking and punching one of the cops,” a security guard in the area told the Daily News on Tuesday. “They mobbed [the cops]. It was wild.”
Both cops suffered scratches, bumps and bruises in the attack, Chell said.
“The video speaks for itself,” Chell added. “[The officers] stayed and fought, but eight on two is hard to combat.”
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