A chaotic scene unfolded in a New York City courtroom on Saturday night as the family of a 12-year-old girl, who was reportedly assaulted outside a Brooklyn housing project, confronted the man accused of the crime.
Eric McMichael, 27, was indicted earlier that week on several serious charges related to the alleged attack on the girl, which prosecutors say involved threats of gun violence to coerce her into following him.
During the court proceedings, emotions ran high as many of the girl’s family members, filling the courtroom, yelled insults at McMichael and the judge before being escorted out.
Judge Orville Reynolds cautioned the agitated crowd, warning them that further disruptions could lead to ejections.
According to prosecutors, McMichael, a parolee from a past robbery conviction, approached the girl in the lobby of the Cooper House building and threatened her, saying, “Come with me or I’ll shoot you.”
He then allegedly dragged her into a stairwell where he assaulted her, leaving her screaming for help. A witness saw McMichael in a compromised state and called for assistance, bringing the girl to her mother, who then noticed her child’s injuries.
The mother promptly notified the police and took her daughter to the hospital, where she was reported to be stable.
McMichael was apprehended the following afternoon when a parole officer recognized him from surveillance footage captured at a nearby laundromat.
Prosecutors noted that he acknowledged being in the lobby and interacting with the girl, but his actions escalated to violence.
Facing a lengthy list of charges, including multiple counts of rape and sexual assault, McMichael’s criminal history includes a previous conviction for a violent incident in 2019 involving another woman.
He had previously received mental health treatment after pleading guilty to that offense.
McMichael’s legal troubles didn’t stop there; he was arrested again in August 2023 for attempting to carjack a taxi by feigning a weapon.
Currently, he remains in custody without bail and is set to return to court later this week.
