Earlier this week, members of the vigilante group, Guardian Angels, were seen tackling a man live on television because they believed he was a “migrant.”
An NYPD spokesperson has since told the Associated Press that that isn’t the case, and that the man is a US citizen from New York City.
The incident took place during a live TV interview in Times Square, where Fox News’ Sean Hannity was speaking with former GOP New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Silwa, founder of the Guardian Angels. During the conversation, Silwa pointed to the man and called him “one of the migrant guys.” The camera then panned to other members of the group who surrounded and jumped the man.
Silwa accused the man of shoplifting, which prompted the Guardian Angels to provide “a little pain compliance.” Silwa noted that the man’s mother “back in Venezuela felt the vibrations.”
Silwa also claimed that the man hit a “female Guardian Angel,” which incited the other members to act—and that he heard the shoplifting allegations from others in the crowd. The only reason Silwa thought the man was a migrant is because he was “speaking Spanish.”
But the NYPD spokesperson said that the man is from the Bronx and the police haven’t found evidence that supports Silwa’s claims.
“Officers were informed that the male had repeatedly attempted to interfere with and disrupt a live television interview,” the spokesperson told NBC News. The man was then detained by bystanders and given a summons when officers witnessed him “acting in a loud, disorderly threatening manner” on the sidewalk.
Silwa has been vehemently opposed to the migrants who have been arriving in droves in NYC and other U.S. cities for months now. Back in August, he was arrested during a protest over migrant housing in the city. He founded the Guardian Angels in the '70s. He was defeated by New York Mayor Eric Adams in the 2021 mayoral election.
