A mob of migrants accused of attacking New York City police officers outside a Queens hotel being used as a shelter as they were checking on the welfare of three unattended children have been indicted, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The six suspects were each charged with attempted assault in the first degree, attempted gang assault in the first and second degrees and crimes related to an attack on two NYPD officers on June 17 in Long Island City.
“Two police officers, who were checking on the welfare of unattended children at 4:20 a.m., were allegedly surrounded and punched and kicked by a group of adults in an assault outside a Long Island City hotel,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. “My office will vigorously prosecute those who harm members of law enforcement, and we will hold these defendants responsible for their alleged actions.”
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A pair of suspects accused of attacking two NYPD officers seen on police bodycam. (NYPD)
The suspects were identified as Juan Munoz, 25; Alejandro Munoz, 42; Karina Navarro-Chavez, 42; Miguel Chiluisa, 23; Cristian Taipe, 30 and 27-year-old Natali Iza.
Chiluisa is also charged with both second and third-degree escape and he and Iza are additionally charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The officers were attacked around 4:20 a.m. as the cops were checking on three unattended children riding bicycles outside a converted hotel that now houses asylum seekers, according to authorities. The cops followed the kids and approached the suspects, Katz said.
Iza began yelling at the cops, pushing and striking one of the officers, while the others surrounded him. Chiluisa allegedly picked up a children’s bicycle and threw it at an officer. The officer was struck on the body, while Navarro-Chavez allegedly struck the officer on the back of the head with an unknown object.
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New York Police Department (NYPD) officers secure Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, Dec. 31, 2017. (Reuters)
Iza allegedly struck another officer with a children’s bike, while the group began to punch, shove and kick the officers. Chiluisa, already handcuffed, then fled the scene. He was found a short time later inside a subway station and arrested.
One of the handcuffs placed on him was broken, police said. The two officers were treated for their injuries, including shoulder pain and abrasions, at a hospital.
The New York Post reported that at least four of the suspects are migrants. Fox News Digital has reached out to Katz’s office and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE).
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The attack appeared to be similar to another in which migrants assaulted a pair of NYPD officers in Times Square in January. The officers were telling a crowd to disperse when the migrants began punching and kicking them.
