Manhattan DA Wants NYC Looting Suspects Held Without Bail: Report

NEW YORK, NY — Manhattan prosecutors want to hold looters who broke into stores in SoHo and Midtown Manhattan, taking advantage of overwhelmingly peaceful protests throughout the city, may be held in jail without regard to New York's reformed bail laws, according to reports.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance is requesting Gov. Andrew Cuomo utilize emergency powers to allow prosecutors to bypass state laws and hold people accused of ransacking Manhattan stores on bail until trial, CBS2 first reported. New York passed new bail laws in 2019 that end the use of cash bail for nonviolent offenders among other progressive reforms.

Vance told CBS2 that he is in favor of ending cash bail, but also wants judge's to have the power to hold someone before trial if there is a "clear risk of re-offense."

"This is about people who are taking advantage of this moment when people want to come out and protest peacefully," Vance told the news station. "I’m calling for more judicial discretion."

Looters struck Manhattan businesses starting with the burglary of high-end boutiques in SoHo on Sunday night, using city-wide protests against police brutality and white supremacy as cover for their crimes, city officials said. The looting escalated on Monday night despite the city implementing an 11 p.m. curfew. Mayor Bill de Blasio moved the curfew up to 8 p.m., which city and police officials say has helped combat looting.

Gov. Cuomo suggested charging suspected looters with second-degree burglary and asking judges to set bail during his Thursday press conference, but did not specifically address the option of using his executive powers to bypass existing bail laws.

"Looting now is exploiting this situation with the protests. They know police are going to be busy with the protesters. They’re then using that as an opportunity to loot and that is inexcusable," Cuomo said.

City and police officials have been clear to distinguish the organized groups of looters from peaceful protesters, but police used the curfew as a reason to crack down on protesters Wednesday night. Vance's office released a statement on Monday saying that prosecutors will independently review all arrests made by police during peaceful protests and will not immediately issue charges until "all available evidence" has been analyzed.

Public defense organizations such as the Legal Aid Society, Brooklyn Defender Services and the Bronx Defenders called Vance's request "outrageous" in a joint statement released Thursday.

"Vance’s proposal would increase incarceration at a time when prisons and jails account for eight of the 10 largest COVID-19 outbreaks in the country and when the City’s own correctional health experts are calling for decarceration," the statement reads.

See the full CBS2 report here.