A confrontation in Manhattan resulted in one man facing serious charges after allegedly assaulting New York Police Department officers. According to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.'s office, 26-year-old Mekhiel Saldana has been indicted on multiple counts of second-degree assault and attempted robbery relating to two separate incidents involving three officers that occurred on August 25.
The sequence of events, as stated in court documents, began when officers attempted to detain Saldana after he was seen trying to kick commuters off their bikes, and his subsequent resistance included grappling with the officers, biting one on the finger for an extended time, at one point he managed to reach for their guns and a taser, but he was ultimately subdued with additional help from other officers. The aftermath left all three officers with injuries significant enough to necessitate medical leave and one of them with lasting nerve damage to her fingers, impairing her ability to return to her duties.
Following the sidewalk incident, Saldana's aggression persisted at Bellevue Hospital where he attacked another officer. "These officers were just trying to do their jobs when they were allegedly violently assaulted by this individual," District Attorney Bragg remarked in a press release regarding the charges brought against Saldana. The prosecution team, led by Assistant D.A. Phillip Klindt and supervised by several senior members of the D.A.’s office, will handle the proceedings, with support from Trial Preparation Assistant Rebekah Kim.
