A young man, Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, is back in the news after getting arrested again, but this time, it’s not for the violent attack on police officers in Times Square that he was involved in earlier this year. This time, he was caught allegedly partaking in a robbery at a Macy’s store in Queens.
Gomez-Izquiel, who’s 19, was taken into custody Tuesday evening. He’s facing charges of robbery and petty theft after reportedly being part of a group that walked into the Queens Center Mall. They are accused of stealing clothes and hiding them in bags. When a security guard tried to stop them, a struggle broke out, and one of the suspects even punched the guard in the face. Though the guard was hurt, he didn’t need medical help.
As Gomez-Izquiel was escorted to a police vehicle, he looked down and ignored questions from reporters. He had been previously arrested for a violent incident in Times Square back in January, where he was seen on video attacking two police officers along with a group of other people. They kicked the officers in the head and body before running away. This attack was shocking because it was caught on camera, leading to further attention on Gomez-Izquiel.
As for the robbery in Queens, the group of suspects managed to flee with around $600 worth of clothes. The police are still looking for the others involved. They’ve described the group, with one man wearing a multicolored baseball cap and black sneakers, another woman in a black bubble jacket, and a third man in a black jacket and skull cap.
In a twist, one of the suspects, 21-year-old Ulises Bohorquez, was found and arrested at a shelter on Randall’s Island early Wednesday morning. Bohorquez is accused of kicking the security guard during the robbery.
Meanwhile, another suspect connected to the Times Square assault, 18-year-old Yarwuin Madris, was also arraigned this week. He faces charges of assault for his role in attacking the officers. Madris was ordered to be held without bail, with the judge noting that he’s been in the country for a short time, and they aren’t even sure of his correct age.
In a separate development, Yohenry Brito, another individual involved in the Times Square attack, was released this week after a church in Brooklyn posted his $15,000 bail. The church’s pastor explained that they believe in supporting people because everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
