A New York man was released from custody after allegedly mugging an elderly woman because of a new state law, the New York Post reports.
Video obtained by the newspaper shows the suspect, 56-year-old Dana White, attacking an 83-year-old woman early Monday morning on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
White can be seen wrapping his arms around the petite victim’s neck and dragging her to the ground. She fights back, but he snatches her purse and leaves her lying down.
“She was a tough old woman who didn’t want to give it up,” an unnamed police source told the Post.
Officers arrested White soon after the incident and charged him with robbery, but authorities were required to release him because of a new state law that prohibits bail for many low-level criminal charges.
Under the new law, a judge is allowed to set bail only when a robber has injured a victim. In this case, the woman had declined medical aid.
One exasperated officer told the Post: “This is a crime that was deemed non-violent by Governor Cuomo. What an asshole.
“How would he like it if the victim was somebody he knew or was related to?”
Investigators later examined White’s criminal history, which included 14 previous arrests for crimes like robbery, criminal possession of a weapon, assault and trespassing. Police found that at the time of the most recent attack, he was on parole for a previous burglary.
The parole violation allowed officers to arrest him again soon after his release – and keep him in custody.
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[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
