A cop-kicking migrant involved in the well-known Times Square brawl earlier this year has taken a plea bargain on Monday. This recent development marks the second suspect who has confessed to his involvement in the attack.
Nineteen-year-old Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault after being caught on camera in a scuffle between two police officers and a group of migrants on January 27. As part of his plea deal, he is set to serve up to one year on Rikers Island.
During a brief hearing on Monday, Gomez-Izquiel from Venezuela, wearing beige jail garb and bowing his head down, entered a plea in a barely audible voice. He was led out of Manhattan Supreme Court in handcuffs, and his sentencing was scheduled for September 5th.
According to Manhattan prosecutors, Gomez-Izquiel was caught on camera grabbing one officer and kicking another during a chaotic altercation outside a migrant shelter located at West 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue.
According to police, he was released without bail initially but was re-arrested just two weeks later for his involvement in a violent robbery at a Macy’s store in Queens. He allegedly acted as a lookout while one of his accomplices punched a security guard at the store.
According to the Queens District Attorney’s Office, he faced charges of robbery and petit larceny in that particular case, which has now been sealed.
In May, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office extended plea deals to two suspects involved in the Times Square incident. Gomez-Izquiel, who had been in the US for approximately five months leading up to the event, is the second defendant to accept responsibility for his involvement.
On June 18, Kelvin Servita Arocha, who is just 19 years old, admitted to obstructing governmental administration as he kicked a police officer’s radio during the incident.
Currently, the cases of Yohenry Brito, Wilson Juarez, Yorman Reveron, Ulises Bohorquez, and Edgarlis Vegas are still pending.
In his statement, Patrick Hendry, the President of the Police Benevolent Association, expressed his belief that Gomez-Izquiel should be given a longer prison sentence for his admission of assault.
Hendry expressed his satisfaction with the guilty plea of the individual who committed a felony and attacked their fraternity. However, he emphasized that the individual’s sentence was only the first step, and the real test would come after the completion of his sentence. Hendry stated that the individual must be deported promptly upon release, without any chance of returning to the city.
Mark Alexander MacRon, the attorney representing Gomez-Izquiel, has not responded to a request for comment.
