4 migrants arrested in Phoenix might be linked to attack on police officers in New York
Feb 7, 2024, 5:00 PM | Updated: Feb 8, 2024, 6:19 am
This image taken from video provided by the New York City Police Department shows police officers confronting a group near New York's Times Square, Jan. 27, 2024, bringing a man in a bright yellow coat down to the sidewalk and the chaotic scene that unfolds as at least half a dozen bystanders are seen kicking at the officers, then trying to pry them off the man. (New York City Police Department via AP)
(New York City Police Department via AP)
PHOENIX — Officials with both the U.S. Border Patrol and the Dept. of Homeland Security arrested four migrants in a Phoenix bus on Monday, officials said.
They were traveling to the Phoenix Greyhound Bus Station from El Paso, Texas, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe.
She said the suspects may have been involved in a high-profile attack on police officers in New York.
“The subjects were believed to be fleeing the state of New York from their suspected involvement in a coordinated assault on multiple New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officers,” O’Keefe told KTAR News 92.3 FM.
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However, NBC News reported Wednesday that senior law enforcement officials said the suspects in ICE custody do not match the identities or names of the individuals involved in the New York incident.
Officials transferred the four migrants to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations to be processed for immigration violations, O’Keefe said.
The attack they were allegedly a part of took place outside a Manhattan homeless shelter on Jan. 27. Surveillance footage recorded outside the shelter showed a group of migrants fighting with police officers in Times Square.
Police arrested seven people, though prosecutors dropped charges against one person who “may not have been involved in the fight,” the Associated Press reported. Officials released five of the six remaining suspects, triggering criticism of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
