Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday called the latest caught-on-camera attack on an NYPD officer a “clear case” for repealing New York’s controversial bail reform law to crack down on violent criminals.
Video exclusively obtained by The Post on Monday shows a 16-year-old boy punching a police officer during a standoff at an Upper Manhattan subway station Saturday night.
Adams said “one aspect that’s missing” from the record is the fact that the teenager was arrested for robbery on Wednesday, “just a few days ago.”
“Now he’s come back and decided he’s not going to pay his fee,” Adams said during a news conference at City Hall.
“The transit officer could have arrested him for not paying his ticket. He didn’t do that. He told him to leave this system and in response we saw in the video what happened.
Adams added: “We need to look at perpetrators of violence and this is a clear case of that.”
Mayor Eric Adams called the video of a 16-year-old boy attacking an NYPD officer a good reason why the state’s bail reform laws should be overturned.J. Messerschmidt/NY Post The video shows the teenager attacking a police officer after jumping a turnstile at a subway station in Upper Manhattan.
“We say: Revise the bail laws in the area of violent offenders – violent offenders,” he said.
“Robbery is a serious crime. But as soon as we catch them, the system lets them go and they repeat the act… When I say we are the laughing stock of the country, I mean it.”
Sources said the teenager was arrested Wednesday and charged with second-degree robbery, a felony, for a June 21 incident in which he and three others allegedly ran over a 49-year-old man.
Adams said the suspect was arrested for robbery on Wednesday. The video shows the suspect headbutting the cop during the attack. Adams said the attack was a “clear case” of the implications of bail reform laws.
The victim was walking along Madison Avenue and East 40th Street when the four thieves pounced, knocked him to the ground and made off with his cell phone, the sources said.
The teenager was apparently released without bond in that case later Wednesday, just days before the East Harlem subway incident that also involved a teenage girl.
NYPD Commissioner Kichant Sewell said the incident was “another example of people being emboldened by a system that just days ago immediately released one of their own after being arrested for robbery.
The teenager was arrested for the robbery and beating of a 49-year-old man. The teenager was released without bail for the alleged robbery after being charged with a felony.
“Once again they are shown that there are no consequences for violent crime,” Sewell tweeted.
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