The individual who assaulted me on the street without provocation a couple of years ago was finally apprehended on August 18, a moment that feels both a relief and a bitter pill. This perpetrator, who blindsided me with a punch to the abdomen as I was commuting on foot, was shockingly granted a $1 bail by Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s notoriously lax District Attorney. However, he resides incarcerated today at Rikers Island, courtesy of an alleged attempt to peddle illegal substances to an undercover officer right before his arrest. This drug case was transferred to Special Narcotics Prosecutor Bridget Brennan, where the subsequent bail was fixed at a significantly higher $200,000. Kamieo Caines, the accused, evaded capture for the assault on me, but was eventually detained this month in Midtown on drug-related offenses.
Caines, aged 36, is a notorious offender with a history of more than 20 arrests and was out on parole when he ambushed me. Despite this, it took authorities two years to apprehend him, which was incidentally after the statute of limitations had expired on my case. Caines was pursued by the police for my case, which technically prolonged my case’s legality, due to an active drug case. Yet, throughout this convoluted legal process, he remained the prime suspect.
Hence, I find myself in the shoes of countless crime victims in New York City before me, questioning the lengthy delay in our justice system. Caines attacked me without any provocation at all while I was headed to work, an assault that happened two years ago.
Moments after the unprovoked and disconcerting strike by Caines, I managed to swiftly capture his photo at the intersection of Chambers Street and Broadway. After the assault, he slipped away without uttering a word, disappearing towards a nearby subway station. I forwarded this potentially valuable piece of evidence to the detectives in charge of my case.
Following the incident, his identity was confirmed to the police by his parole officer. However, despite this confirmation and discovery of his involvement in drug-related offenses, the bail was still steeply pegged at $200,000.
Due to the nature of his assault on me, a misdemeanor, no judge would have kept him detained. Changes to bail reform regulations in 2019 mean that such offenses are not eligible for bail – a fact well known to officers. Thus, had Caines been apprehended for his assault on me two years back, he would have soon found himself back in the community.
It is this cyclical pattern — the so-called revolving door of the legal system — that exasperates law enforcement officers, causing many to contemplate stepping down. Experiencing this frustrating process as a victim only amplifies this sense of exasperation and disillusionment.
The lack of immediate consequences for perpetrators of repeat misdemeanors only fuels outrage. Why should those who repeatedly commit felonies and assault innocent citizens go unpunished for years? Troublingly, these incidents are not uncommon. According to NYPD statistics, this year has seen close to 29,963 assaults like mine, revealing a slight decline from last year but a substantial increase from five years ago.
Caines was finally nabbed at the junction of Eighth Avenue and West 35th Street in Midtown on August 18, when officers noticed him engaged in selling drugs. Upon searching his person, they discovered 17 vials of crack cocaine and seven small packets of heroin.
Officers from the NYPD Narcotics Bureau had been seeking Caines since he allegedly sold a significant quantity of cocaine to undercover officers over a two-day span in November 2022 in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights. Consequently, he faced multiple charges related to the controlled substance.
Caines has a harrowing track record involving more than 20 arrests. His alleged offenses range from assault to possession of illegal weapons, making his criminal rap sheet quite extensive.
Back in 2017, he was handed a prison sentence following a conviction for an assault on two individuals. This gruesome attack, involving a box cutter, took place during peak hours at Manhattan’s Fulton Street subway station. Caines was released from Collins Correctional Facility in Erie County on January 18, 2022, with his parole expiring at the end of April the same year.
Reports discuss Caines’ disturbing behavior during his court appearances, including violent acts against fellow inmates and medical personnel. He reportedly attacked and repeatedly kicked another inmate, spat at medical workers and even threatened to harm everyone in his vicinity during the intake procedure.
I took the step of reporting my incident in the hopes that it would protect others from similar harm. My decision came in the wake of numerous instances of unsuspected pedestrians falling prey to unprovoked attacks. It is now evident that New York must make significant strides in its quest to better safeguard its citizens.
The post Assault Perpetrator Finally Arrested After Two Years appeared first on Real News Now.
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