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One of two suspects accused in a series of armed robberies over several hours across New York City expressed confidence that he’ll be back on the streets in no time following his arrest Tuesday because of the city’s bail laws.
“I’ll be out on bail in 24 hours. I’ll be out on bail,” one of the suspects said as he was placed into the back of an unmarked police car.
The pair – identified as Alvin Velez, 34, and 24-year-old Carlos Perez – have a lengthy criminal history, the New York Post reported. Both suspects began their alleged spree around 1 a.m. in Corona, Queens where two females were robbed of their jewelry, FOX New York reported.
Minutes later, they allegedly robbed two people inside the lobby of the Woodside Motel on Queens Boulevard. The victims had their cash and wallets taken.
BIDEN GOES TO NYC AND IGNORES THE MIGRANT CRISIS
At 1:45 a.m., they robbed a man in Brooklyn of his cash and wallet, the report said. The pair then went back to Queens where they allegedly struck again around 2 a.m. They are accused of robbing six people sitting at an outdoor dining shed of cash and jewelry.
A half-hour later, they allegedly robbed a food truck in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village.
The last robbery occurred around 3 a.m. in Upper Manhattan when a woman was victimized. They suspected thieves fled into a minivan and drove to the Bronx where police vehicles followed.
The van crashed into a tree and they were arrested. A gun was recovered from the suspect’s vehicle, the Post reported. Perez ran but he was caught a short distance later.
No one was hurt during the robberies. Fox News Digital has reached out to the New York Police Department.
Both men are charged with multiple counts of criminal possession of a weapon. The Post reported that Velez has 10 prior arrests and was on parole for attempted murder. Perez has nine arrests and was on parole for criminal possession of a weapon.
New York’s bail laws have been the subject of controversy following a number of incidents in which suspects were freed only to re-offend, sometimes violently. Last year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and law enforcement heads criticized bail reforms laws as “insane.”
“This is about recidivists who cause New Yorkers to suffer needlessly. Every day, as hardworking New Yorkers start their day or night of work or school, or to simply enjoy what this city has to offer, recidivist criminals are planning or taking the opportunity to commit their next larceny, robbery, burglary or other crime,” New York Police Department Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at the time. “Their efforts are increasingly aided by the fact that after the NYPD has arrested them, the criminal justice system fails to hold them appropriately accountable for their actions. These offenders face very few, if any, repercussions, despite committing crime after crime.”