A woman arrested for the assault of two police officers during protests in New York over the death of Tyre Nichols has been freed without bail, in a move signed off by the city's district attorney.
Candy Nicole, who has a prior arrest for grabbing a male partner's testicles during an argument, was released on her own recognizance Saturday following a brief appearance in New York County Criminal Court.
Hours before, the 25-year-old was one of three New Yorkers arrested as thousands descended on Times Square to protest the police brutality death of Nichols, a 29-year-old black man killed earlier this month during a traffic stop by Memphis police.
The protests seen in the Big Apple were one of several seen across the country after Memphis police's release of video of the murder Friday, with the procession in the Big Apple among many to turn violent.
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Candy Nicole, one of three arrested during protests in Manhattan Friday, was released on her own recognizance Saturday following a brief appearance in New York County Criminal Court
Video filmed during the unrest showed cops pulling one of the suspects off the hood of the defaced police cruiser, shortly after he smashed its windshield with his foot. The suspect, career criminal Argenis Rivera, 33, is facing charges of criminal mischief - a misdemeanor
Tyre Nichols, 29, was beaten like a 'human piñata' by five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers on January 7 and died three days later in the hospital from kidney failure and cardiac arrest. Previously unseen footage of his murder spurred the current protests
Of the three arrested during the demonstration - which saw a man pulled off the hood of an NYPD patrol car after smashing its windshield with his foot - Nicole is the only one facing more than a misdemeanor.
On Friday, she was hit with a charge of assault as well as hate crime assault, reportedly for insulting one of the officers as she struck him in the face.
Accused of punching two officers, Nicole 'maintains her innocence,' her lawyer Caroline Glickler said Saturday, claiming her client was a victim of 'unnecessary police force' during the Friday night incident, which began in Union Square and continued up Broadway into Midtown at around 8pm.
Cops were filmed attempting to keep a lid on the disorder, which was mostly peaceful but quickly turned violent after one demonstrator, identified as as 33-year-old Argenis Rivera, jumped atop a parked police cruiser.
The outburst sparked a chain of events that would eventually lead to Nicole's arrest as well as Rivera's, who authorities Saturday confirmed to be a career criminal.
Cops were filmed attempting to keep a lid on the disorder, which was mostly peaceful but turned violent after one demonstrator, identified as Argenis Rivera, jumped atop a parked cop cruiser. The outburst sparked a chain of events that would lead to both being arrested
A third suspect, identified Saturday as 34-year-old Katherine Stone, was grabbed for trying to deface the same cruiser with graffiti
Currently facing a charge of criminal mischief, Rivera was held on $10,000 bail only after authorities noted the nature of suspect's most recent arrest, which came in October for allegedly strangling an unsuspecting mom.
The victim, police said, had been pushing her two-year-old in a stroller when she was assaulted by the repeat offender in Chelsea.
In that incident, Rivera - who has 12 other arrests - reportedly punched the unnamed victim in the face and then began choking her while screaming, 'I am not letting go until police come!... I want to die by police.'
He proceeded to assault another woman who witnessed the incident on a bench nearby, pressing a pair of keys to her throat, saying, 'Go ahead call the cops I don’t care, police said Saturday.
Cops said Rivera then punched the woman before cops arrived to find him pinning her the ground. That case has yet to be resolved.
Currently facing a charge of criminal mischief, Rivera was held on $10,000 bail only after authorities noted the nature of suspect's most recent arrest, which came in October for allegedly strangling an unsuspecting mom.
Despite this and several other violent offenses, Rivera was granted house arrest during an appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court Saturday
Despite this, Rivera was granted house arrest during an appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court Saturday, and promptly cut loose.
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