Teen Released Without Bail Days Before Allegedly Assaulting New York Officers In Subway Station

An unidentified teenager has steadily been making headlines for allegedly attacking a police officer, but New York City prosecutor Alvin Bragg believes that he needs rehabilitation rather than jail time.

The alleged event recently occurred in Harlem subway station. An officer attempted to prevent the teen from entering the subway without paying the required fare, and a physical altercation broke out.

Video of the ordeal shows the teen showering the officer with a barrage of punches before slamming him into a metal fence and placing the officer in a chokehold. Simultaneously, a female officer is seen getting into a scuffle with another teen, though much of that situation wasn’t caught on camera.

The scuffle continues for a short while, and an additional officer ultimately shows up to help subdue the teen, who is visibly bloodied.

The clip soon began circulating on Twitter.

At the 16-year-old’s arraignment, Shortly after the incident ensued, Manhattan prosecutors argued for him to be released without bail.

According to FOX News, the prosecution sought to divert the matter to family court, where he would be tried as a juvenile and receive rehabilitation instead of a jail sentence.

“Our system must respond to children as children,” Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for Bragg, said in a statement, FOX News reports.

“Violence against our police officers is unacceptable, and given his age at the time of arrest, we consented to send the second case to family court as soon as possible, where he would receive the age-appropriate interventions and supports he needs while being held accountable,” Tuttle continued.

However, this proved to be a somewhat controversial decision, notably since a couple of days before the subway incident, the teen in question was arrested for participating in a violent robbery and released without bail.

In addition to his two July arrests, the unidentified 16-year-old was also arrested in April for gun possession, FOX News reports.

“The assault on our officers in the subway is another example of individuals emboldened by a system that, just days ago, immediately released one of them after being arrested for robbery,” New York City Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell tweeted. “Once again, they are shown that there are no consequences for violent criminality.”

New York City Mayor Eric Adams also spoke on the incident, saying that it shows that legislators need to “[r]e-examine the bail laws in the area of violent offenders,” according to the New York Post.

“Robbery is a violent crime. But as soon as we catch them, the system releases them, and they repeat the action,” Adams said. “When I say we’re the laughingstock of the country, this is what I’m talking about.”

“The criminals underground know they can get in a brawl, choke a cop and be back out in hours. Cops are putting ourselves on the line to make the subways safer, but we are feeling abandoned by a justice system that won’t back us up,” Patrick J. Lynch, president of The Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, added, AMNY reports.

What are your thoughts on the situation, and do you agree with the case being diverted to family court?