An immigrant who was accused of attacking two NYPD officers in Times Square earlier this year and then released shortly thereafter has been arrested again on suspicion of serial theft, according to media reports.
Yohenry Brito, 24, of Venezuela, was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of two counts of theft at a Sephora cosmetics store in Manhattan, law enforcement sources told the New York Post.
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The first theft occurred in July, when Brito allegedly cut security wire from a display case to steal perfume, and the other occurred on Aug. 6, when Brito stole $1,358 worth of merchandise from the store’s shelves before fleeing with an accomplice, law enforcement sources told The Washington Post.
The accomplice was never caught.
Yohenry Brito appears in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. Brito is charged with felony assault for his brutal attack on multiple NYPD officers in Times Square last week. (Stephen Hirsch for the New York Post via Pool)
“As we have said from the beginning, the individuals who attacked our colleagues in the Times Square unit have no respect for the law and will not remain in our city without causing further mayhem. We are pleased that he is back behind bars,” Patrick Hendry, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, told the paper.
Brito had previously been arrested and released in connection with at least three thefts that occurred before and after the Times Square police mob attack.
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Prosecutors said he was one of seven migrants who punched and kicked two police officers on Jan. 27. The migrants had been told by officers to move along the road when the violence began.
Five of the accused immigrants – Yeoman Reveron, 24, Joan Boada, 22, Wilson Juarez, 21, Darwin Andres Gómez Izquier, 19, and Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19 – were charged with assaulting a police officer and obstructing a government investigation and were released without bail.
Yohenry Brito appears in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday, February 6, 2024. Brito is facing felony assault charges for assaulting multiple NYPD officers in Times Square last week. (Stephen Hirsch for the New York Post via Pool)
Prosecutors determined that Boada was not one of the men seen in the video and he was later acquitted.
Brito was initially released along with other asylum seekers, but after a public outcry he was remanded in custody and ordered held on $15,000 cash or $50,000 bond. At the time, he had two pending misdemeanor cases for theft.
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But he was back on the streets in February after the Rev. Juan Ruiz, pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brooklyn, posted his $15,000 bail.
“Our church is essentially a sanctuary,” Lewis told The Washington Post at the time. “We assume people are innocent until proven innocent.”
After his release, Brito was arrested on suspicion of attempting to steal children’s clothes and perfume from Macy’s.
“I have an urge to put you in jail right now,” Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Laura Ward told Brito in court, “and I’m telling you right now, if I find that you are rearrested on any charge between now and the end of this case, I will issue a warrant and I will set bail very high to ensure that you are not released.”
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“If you run a red light, jump a turnstile or do anything that would require me to issue a warrant, you will not see the light of day until this case is over,” she continued.
Brito is currently being held on $50,000 bail in connection with his recent arrest and subsequent assault on the Times Square police.
