Federal agents apprehended four illegal immigrants in Phoenix on Monday who were initially believed to have been part of a mob of migrants who were arrested and later released for attacking two police officers in Times Square.
The Manhattan District Attorney's office told Fox News Wednesday, however, that the four are not connected to the beating of the NYPD officers. A senior Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official also confirmed the update, telling FOX that the four individuals affiliated with the New York case – and believed to have fled the state after being released – are "still at large" and are being vigorously pursued.
"The Manhattan D.A.’s Office was informed yesterday by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) that the four individuals they took into custody were not affiliated with the New York City investigation," Manhattan D.A. communications director Danielle Filson said in a statement to Fox News. "To date, we have not received any indication from federal authorities that they have detained anyone related to our case."
The hunt for the four suspects is across multiple federal law enforcement entities, the CBP official noted.
NYC MIGRANTS ARRESTED FOR ASSAULTING POLICE FLEE TO CALIFORNIA UPON RELEASE: REPORT
The four illegal immigrants picked up in Phoenix on Monday were on a bus bound for California that had left El Paso, Texas, a HSI spokesperson said Monday.
Their names have not been released and they were transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) to be processed for immigration violations.
CBP says it has warrants for three of the four suspects who were arrested following the assault of two NYPD officers.
The warrants are for Darwin Andres Gomez, 19, Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita Arocha, 19. Yorman Reveron, 24, was part of the initial group of four who were arrested and let go.
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested later and then released before flipping the bird to waiting reporters.
Yohenry Brito, 24, and Jandry Barros, 21, were also arrested in the case. Brito was indicted by a grand jury related to the attack on the officers.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said at a news conference on Friday that she wanted to speak with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg about why most of the suspects were released without bail. She said prosecutors should have sought to keep them behind bars.
"Certainly an assault on a police officer is bail eligible," Hochul told reporters.
She added: "There are over 100 crimes that also can lead to deportation, and so that is also something I want to have a conversation with the district attorney about – his options here."
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom, C.B. Cotton and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated with new information about the status of the suspects in the NYPD case.
