Pedro Hernandez, the accused profession legal and onetime darling of legal justice advocates, was ordered held with out bail Tuesday — as prosecutors revealed the steps he took to keep away from arrest whereas being sought on an attempted-murder cost.
Hernandez, 22, spent almost one month on the lam following a taking pictures exterior St. Patrick’s Cathedral, prosecutors mentioned at his arraignment in Manhattan Felony Courtroom.
“That is direct proof that the defendant is a flight threat,” Assistant District Lawyer Jennifer El-Fakir informed Decide Michael Gaffey in the course of the listening to.
“For this present case, he led the police in a high-speed automobile chase within the Bronx,” she mentioned.
Protection legal professional Andre Travieso countered that bail was not mandatory for his shopper, who has three open instances in The Bronx from 2019 all nonetheless hanging over him.
“My shopper is a lifetime resident of New York,” Travieso informed the choose. “He has very, very robust household ties. He has a mother, sister, uncle, cousin right here right this moment. My perception is that my shopper will probably be right here for his courtroom appearances. We're able to put up a robust battle on this matter.”
Prosecutors, noting that Hernandez has ties to Puerto Rico, requested Gaffey to set $150,000 money bail or a $450,000 bond.
However the choose, citing Herhandez’s previous arrests, opted to jail him with out bail.
“Now you’ve been arrested on a violent felony right here earlier than this courtroom, so primarily based upon that I've to think about your skill to make bail,” he mentioned. “However I’ve additionally thought-about the actual fact when you’re out on a violent felony you’re now accused of a felony.”
Hernandez was busted Monday on an attempted-murder cost stemming from the Aug. 28 taking pictures sparked by a dispute over a three-card monte recreation.
He was on the run for almost a month on the case earlier than he was picked up by the NYPD at his mom’s residence in The Bronx. Authorities mentioned he had been anticipated to give up to police Monday — however these plans later fell by means of.
The Manhattan District Lawyer’s Workplace beforehand informed The Put up that Hernandez had booked “a number of flights” throughout his time on the run, together with to Panama, earlier than strolling again the assertion. An legal professional Hernandez has retained since Tuesday’s listening to, Jason Goldman, additionally denied that his shopper tried to flee to Panama.
Hernandez has a pending lawsuit in opposition to the town, claiming the NYPD has focused him unfairly in his previous run-ins with the legislation.
In courtroom Tuesday, his mother steered that was the case together with his newest arrest.
“At this second all I can say is that this battle with the NYPD will not be the primary time and as soon as once more we are going to win,” Jessica Perez informed The Put up.
Hernandez, who has a prolonged legal file, was as soon as championed by criminal-justice advocates who fought to get him launched after he served one yr at Rikers Island on a 2015 theft case.
Hernandez had refused to cop a plea deal within the case and was held behind bars till a liberal advocacy group sprang him on $100,000 bail. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Basis was advocating for decrease or no bails in lots of instances, saying the system discriminated in opposition to minorities and the poor.
Bronx prosecutors in the end ended up dropping the theft case in opposition to Hernandez when a key witness bought chilly toes — solely to see the suspect in handcuffs for different alleged crimes repeatedly.
In the most recent case, Hernandez is accused of flying right into a rage after dropping money and a gold chain throughout a recreation of three-card monte, a notoriously rigged city sidewalk hustle.
He allegedly adopted the 2 males pulling off the hustle to their crimson Mercedes-Benz and fired a single shot into the car — then chased the automobile in his personal black BMW, cops mentioned.
The chase ended up on the parking storage of the Palace Resort, the place one of many three-card monte operators dropped his money and jewellery on the bottom earlier than operating off.
Hernandez then allegedly grabbed his gadgets off the bottom and left the scene — and cops had been on the lookout for him since.
In line with the Bronx District Lawyer’s Workplace, Hernandez was out on bail on two of his three instances presently pending in that borough.
The instances embody a felony third-degree theft cost relationship to April 7, 2019, through which prosecutors requested that Hernandez be held on $100,000 bail — however a choose set the quantity at $15,000 money or a $25,000 bond.
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