Newly released police bodycam footage shows a scuffle between cops in Yonkers and a group of rowdy migrants at a local hotel filled with asylum seekers. Two people were arrested during the incident, where police were surrounded and berated in Spanish by an unruly migrant mob. Officers were called to the Ramada Inn on reports of an out-of-control guest just before 1 p.m.
The footage captures the officers entering the lobby, where they took Arnal Kent, 35, into custody while surrounded by other migrants. Kent can be heard complaining in Spanish and resisting arrest. A migrant woman, identified as 24-year-old Yamilet Hernandez, pushed the officers and blocked the door of the police vehicle to prevent Kent from being placed inside. Yonkers cops eventually managed to get Kent in the vehicle and let things settle down before attempting to arrest Hernandez.
Hernandez resisted arrest, leading to a scuffle with the officers who had to take her to the ground in order to handcuff her. Kent was charged with various offenses including menacing and disorderly conduct. He was released without bail. Hernandez, on the other hand, was charged with assault, obstruction of governmental administration, and resisting arrest. She was being held at Westchester County Jail on $500 bail. Yonkers police spokesman Detective Sgt. Frank DiDomizio stated that officers responded appropriately to the call for service.
In May 2023, the Ramada Inn on Tuckahoe Road was chosen by New York City officials to house around 250 migrants due to the city’s struggles to find accommodations for the influx of asylum seekers. The incident at the hotel involving the rowdy migrants highlights the challenges faced by law enforcement in dealing with disruptive behavior and resistance during arrests. The bodycam footage provides a glimpse into the tense situation that unfolded between the police and the migrants at the hotel.
