The individual suspected to have assaulted a New York Post journalist on her way to her office two years ago is finally under custodial arrest. Interestingly, the individual involved in this case, Kamieo Caines, alleged to have punched her abruptly in the abdomen, was apprehended recently, however, there seems to be a big caveat. According to reports shared by the person who manages the New York Police Department section for the news outlet, Caines was astoundingly granted a trivial bail sum of $1 by Alvin Bragg, the notorious Manhattan DA regarded as lenient on criminal offenders.
Despite his shocking $1 bail, Caines remains incarcerated at the infamous Rikers Island. This was due to another crime he is said to have committed–attempting to trade narcotics with an undercover police officer immediately prior to his arrest. As a result, his bail for this additional charge was set significantly higher at $200,000.
The arrest occurred after Caines was observed allegedly partaking in public drug dealing. After apprehending him, the police discovered an unsettling amount of illicit substances – 17 containers filled with crack and seven packets of heroin – in his possession. Caines’ arrest shines a light on his notorious reputation.
Surprisingly, Caines boasts a long record of run-ins with the law, having been arrested a total of 20 times in the past. Furthermore, at the time of the assault on the reporter, he was out on parole. His list of criminal offenses include grievous misdeeds replete with violent tendencies and utter disregard for law and order.
In 2013, Caines was convicted for causing harm to a fellow inmate during his term at Rikers Island. Adding to his litany of felonies, he returned to the prison in 2017 after being found guilty of assaulting two males with a boxcutter within a transit station subway.
The victim, in her account, articulated a question that has been a resounding echo amongst a multitude of victims in New York City, ‘Why did the arrest take an astonishingly long time?’ Recalling her assault, she detailed how she captured an image of Caines merely moments after he assaulted her on Chambers Street and Broadway at around 10 a.m. on August 8, 2023.
She further described the attack, stating that Caines committed the assault silent of words and then immediately sprinted toward the direction of a close-by No. 1/2/3 subway line. Consequently, the photograph she took was handed over to investigators involved in her case.
She confirmed that law enforcement officials launched a manhunt for Caines, but their efforts were hampered due to a ‘criminal-friendly bail reform.’ This legislative hurdle effectively tied the hands of law enforcement, inhibiting their capacity to keep the suspect in custody for simple assault, classified as a misdemeanor.
In light of the bail reform legislation of 2019, simple assault has not been considered as a bail-eligible offense. She pointed out that this is a well-known fact amongst law enforcement officers. She lamented that even if Caines had been detained two years ago, he could have easily re-emerged on the streets due to the system’s propensity to let criminals off easily.
She criticized the system’s turning cycle that sees arrested offenders swiftly back on the streets. This characteristic of the system was highlighted as a source of frustration for law enforcement officials and strongly linked to why many of them are considering quitting the force.
As someone who has been reporting on crime in New York City for over two decades, the journalist emphasized that she has written a vast number of crime stories during her career. After the introduction of bail reforms in 2019, she observed a significant surge in reports of random assaults.
Underscoring the personal impact of the crime on her, she mentioned how her experience as a victim made her more attuned to the prevalence of such offenses. Since she was personally assailed, she stated, she has become more aware of the frequency of similar violent attacks on New York’s streets.
The post Assault On Journalist: Notorious Offender Kamieo Caines Finally Arrested after Two Years appeared first on Real News Now.
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