New York City Mayor Eric Adams harshly criticized the release of a man who allegedly beat someone with a baseball bat on Nov. 29 after his girlfriend paid the $7,500 bail on Wednesday.
Adams made the comments on CNN’s ‘Smerconish’ on Saturday morning, stating that bail laws in place benefit the suspect, and not the victim.
‘Every time we do our job as law enforcement and city administrators, we’re seeing this revolving door of catch, release and repeat system that’s really playing out all across the country. I say this over and over again. When are we going to pass laws that are going to protect the innocent people of this city and this country? We have to stop passing laws that protect the guilty,’ Adams said.
Karim Azizi, 36, was arrested on Wednesday at about 8 a.m. and charged with assault, attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon in relation to a Nov. 29 attack that took place on Amsterdam Avenue and West 148th Street in Harlem.
The alleged attack was caught on surveillance video and shows the suspect hitting a 47-year-old man with a baseball bat in the head before walking away.
The suspect came back, and the video shows that he yelled at the victim.
Azizi’s girlfriend made the bail on Wednesday, and he was released from jail on Thursday morning.
NYC MAN ARRESTED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT BASEBALL BAT ATTACK CAUGHT ON VIDEO
‘He posted the entire bail amount of $7,500, and is at liberty,’ Azizi’s attorney Jason Goldman said in a statement.
Initially, prosecutors requested for Azizi’s bail to be set at $40,000, citing the alleged attack’s violent nature. The court would go on to set his bail at $7,500, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
Azizi’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 12.
Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Marta Dhanis contributed to this report.