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September 3, 2024, 5:01 PM

NYC migrant who kicked cop in wild Times Square brawl smirks during sentencing — and union argues it’s ‘not enough’

By Kyle Schnitzer

A Venezuelan migrant who kicked an NYPD officer during an infamous Times Square brawl was sentenced Tuesday to 364 days behind bars — a punishment the police union slammed as too lenient.

Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19, smirked but remained silent when given the chance to speak at his sentencing after he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault last month to the wild caught-on-camera Jan. 27 scuffle between cops and the crew of migrants.

“Mr. Gomez, if you get arrested again in New York state, you will be a predicate felon, and you will wind up upstate,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Laura Ward warned Gomez-Izquiel in the brief court appearance.

Gomez-Izquiel became the second suspect to be sentenced in the attack after Kevlin Servita Arocha admitted his guilt in June, who was sentenced to time served.

He was caught grabbing one officer and kicking another during the melee, which happened outside a migrant shelter at West 42nd Street near Seventh Avenue, Manhattan prosecutors have said.

Five other defendants involved in the brawl — Ulises Bohorquez, Yohenry Brito, Wilson Juarez, Yorman Reveron and Edgarlis Vegas — have cases that remain active, according to court records.

Brito, who was out on bail after a church group put up the money, was rearrested on a separate indictment that alleges he stole nearly $2,000 in merchandise from separate Sephora stores in Manhattan.

All five defendants are set to appear in court Wednesday.

Police Benevolent Association chief Patrick Hendry said Gomez-Izquiel deserved a much longer sentence than a year behind bars.

“364 days is not enough. This individual should be behind bars a lot longer. If you attack a New York City police officer, you should stay behind bars,” Hendry said outside the courtroom.