A man with a long record who was out on parole is accused of punching a Yonkers, New York, police officer in the face last week, breaking the cop’s nose. But despite assault charges against the suspect and the district attorney’s request for $150,000 bail, a judge decided to release the suspect with no bail, WCBS-TV reported.
What are the details?
Police answered a Sept. 6 call concerning an unresponsive man on the sidewalk near Cypress Street and Yonkers Avenue, the station said
“They were incredibly professional. They were compassionate. They did everything right,” Police Benevolent Association President Keith Olson noted to WCBS.
Officers on the scene tried to convince 39-year-old Johnny McCray to sit in an ambulance — and then McCray suddenly hauled off and punched a male officer in the nose, the station said.
Olson said the entire incident was caught on bodycam, WCBS said.
McCray was charged with assault, the station said, adding that the district attorney asked for a $150,000 bond. But police said Judge Maurice Williams released McCray without bail, WCBS reported.
“The message it sends to me is that that judge values that suspect more than he values our police officers,” Yonkers Police Commissioner Chris Sapienza told the station.
Sapienza said McCray told the judge he was sorry and had an upcoming job interview, after which McCray was released without bail, WCBS said.
“For him to just let out a violent suspect under those circumstances is irresponsible,” Sapienza added to the station.
Mayor Mike Spano told WCBS the judge’s decision is fallout from a “soft-on-crime attitude” and that the sentiment “permeates throughout the system.”
What happened to the officer?
The punched police officer is on leave with a broken nose, the station said, adding that the officer only recently transferred to Yonkers from Bedford, which WCBS described as a “quiet community in northern Westchester.”
WCBS said McCray on Tuesday appeared in court as required, and a GPS tracking bracelet was attached to his ankle at that time. McCray offered no comment to a reporter as he left the courthouse, the station added.
A spokesman for Judge Williams told WCBS late Tuesday that the judge made his no-bail decision based on information he had available and believed a release with GPS monitoring was the best way to guarantee McCray would return to court.
Yonkers officer sucker punched by suspect who was later releasedyoutu.be
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