New Yorker committed 3 crimes in 36 hours: every time he was arrested and released

Last week, a Brooklyn homeless man was arrested three times in just 36 hours. He bragged to the New York police that every time he was arrested he was released without bail because he "had no criminal record." He turned out to be right even after the third arrest in 36 hours. Why he gets away with his crimes, the publication told New York Post.

Agustin Garcia, 63, was charged with robbery of two people in Manhattan - he used a knife against one of the victims. Immediately after that, he stole a beer from a liquor store in the Bronx. The Manhattan attorney's office twice asked Garcia to be jailed on bail, but the judges denied the request.

It wasn't until the suspect was arrested a third time in less than two days that he was sent to Bellevue Hospital for a psychiatric examination, albeit still without surety or bail.

“We can arrest people, but then they are immediately released, this does not solve the underlying problems,” a law enforcement source told reporters.

Agustin does not receive full treatment

“My brother is a sick man,” said Jose Garcia, brother of the detained homeless man. According to him, Agustin has been suffering from schizophrenia for the last 35 years.

“He goes to the hospital and stays there for a month or two. Sometimes he does not receive full treatment and is released. And as soon as he is released, the problem returns, ”Jose said.

Agustin Garcia's 36-hour crime-streak began around 19:30 pm on November 21, when he stole a dozen cans of Coors Light from a store on East 165th Street in the Bronx. After the arrest, the suspect was charged with petty theft. The court rejected the request for bail and pThe policemen released him with a subpoena.

Just a few hours later, Garcia was again in handcuffs. Police said he was arrested again around 3 a.m. on November 22 at the Canal Street subway station on Manhattan... He allegedly stole the woman's backpack and held a knife to her, warning her to "stay away" when she followed him.

“I know I’m going to be released again,” Garcia boasted to police at the Fifth Precinct office after his second arrest. "I have no criminal record."

Garcia, who had no previous convictions, sources said, was charged with robbery. The Manhattan prosecutor's office demanded that he be detained on bail, but the man was released.

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Back on the street, the suspect stole an iPhone from a passenger at the West 145th Street / Lenox Avenue subway station at around 7:15 am on November 23 and fled into a tunnel. Police caught him as he tried to climb back onto the platform, sources said. This time, Garcia was accused of embezzlement on an especially large scale and entry into prohibited territory.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office said it tried again to put Garcia in jail. The prosecutor's office asked to put him behind bars on bail, but the court decided otherwise.

Psychological examination

Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Valentina Morales rejected the bail request and instead ordered Garcia a 72-hour psychological evaluation in Bellevue. Bellevue told reporters that Garcia was still there as of November 28.

According to Jose, this is not the first time his brother has been hospitalized. He previously received treatment at Jacobi, New York-Presbyterian and Gracie Square hospitals.

Jose said that after leaving the hospital, Agustin stops taking medicine because he believes that "God will cure him."

“I tell him:“ You have to understand that God gave people the power to produce these medicines so that we can survive. Use it! Jose said. "When he stops taking medication, we lose him."

He said that his brother was once "very smart," working as the boss of a welding company that repaired PATH trains, subway cars and even US Navy ships. But in 1987, Agustin was diagnosed with schizophrenia, and his life went downhill. According to his brother, Agustin recently lived in Harlem. After being evicted from his apartment, he moved to a Brooklyn homeless shelter.

What the judiciary is saying

A spokesman for the state judicial system said the judges who refused to set bail for Agustin Garcia were acting in their discretion and are entitled to do so.

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But critics lament the city's "badly broken legal system."

“When we see the same [accused] over and over ... we see the same red flags,” said a law enforcement source. "People enter the system with serious mental, emotional illnesses and come out the same, if not worse."

Meanwhile, Jose Garcia insists that his brother has a good heart despite his troubles.

“Do you know what he does with his money, the money he gets from social security? He takes the money and gives it to the church, ”Jose said. “Trust me, he is the noblest and most helpful guy. If abouthe sees that you are cold and knows that he has a coat at home, he will give it to you. That's the kind of person he is. "