First an illegal immigrant from Venezuela flipped America the bird, and now New York City prosecutors have made him as free as one.
Jhoan Boada had made the gesture while strolling away from court after his Jan. 31 arraignment, when he was set free on bail after being charged in a Jan. 27 attack on a New York City police officer.
Now, prosecutors say that although they first believed Boada was the individual with a black and white jacket and pink shoes who was kicking a police officer, they have changed their minds, according to WNBC-TV.
Instead, illegal immigrant Marce Estee, 25, has been arrested and charged with assault on a police officer.
Javier Damien, for Boada, said his client was a victim of a “rush to judgment.”
“It was a political football, and people were attacked with a broad brush,” he said. “It’s very sad.”
Five of the eight people suspected of the assault have been arrested.
Another suspect in the January attack on two NYPD officers in Times Square was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court late Friday after the district attorney dropped charges against another suspect, saying the wrong man was arrested. @AliBaumanTV reports. https://t.co/2chnWbA1UO
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) March 2, 2024
Estee was tracked through social media accounts that looked for an individual with the unique jacket and sneakers, Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Zachary Kotin said, according to the New York Post.
“Our investigation has revealed that Marcelino Estee, not Jhoan Boada, is the individual described in this complaint, wearing the black & white jacket with pink shoes, committing this assault,” the DA’s office said.
“Marcelino Estee has been charged for his participation. We are therefore moving to dismiss this complaint against Jhoan Boada,” the office said.
Kotin said Estee initially claimed he was innocent.
“After being presented with the video, surveillance footage, and still images from the footage, the defendant admitted that he is the individual dressed as described above, and that he kicked the officers multiple times during the course of the assault,” Kotin said.
WARNING: The following post contains an image that some may find offensive.
This is 22 y/o Jhoan Boada, one of the illegal aliens released without bail after being charged in the mob beating of two NYPD officers in Times Square over the weekend. He flipped the bird to cameras as he was leaving court today.
Photo credit: @nypost https://t.co/qWfnYit7Le pic.twitter.com/OJU914AoRf— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 1, 2024
NYPD Lieutenant Ben Kurian, who was a victim in the incident, has been invited to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address by Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, of New York, according to Fox News.
“Our NYPD officers are on the front line every single day working to keep our streets safe, and unfortunately, now they are being forced to deal with hundreds of violent crimes being committed by those in our country illegally,” Malliotakis said.
“The horrifying video of Lt. Kurian and his fellow officer being attacked by a mob in Times Square was hard to watch, but it shed a light on just how difficult our officers’ jobs have become,” she said.
She said she invited Kurian to “bring attention to the need for the Biden administration to end its dangerous border policies.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.