The New York Police Department apprehended a 23-year-old woman for her involvement in the assault on a performer who was playing his cello at a subway station in Manhattan last month.
Hunter, who has been previously arrested for domestic violence, petty larceny, and grand larceny but has not been convicted of any crimes, entered a plea of not guilty. He was then ordered to cooperate with supervised release.
According to a statement given to NBC News, Ms. Hunter’s lawyer, Joseph Conza from the New York County Defender Services, expressed support for the judge’s decision to grant supervised release. Conza emphasized that Ms. Hunter has no previous criminal record and highlighted the importance of presuming innocence, even when video evidence is available early on. Conza pointed out that video footage only provides a limited perspective and that other individuals have been proven innocent despite early visual evidence.
In a video released on Friday, Forrest expressed his gratitude and relief upon learning that the suspect had been apprehended.
Forrest emphasized the importance of everyone’s safety and a positive outlook on music, instead of delving into the intricacies of bail reform. He remarked, “You may see on the news that the suspect was released under supervision.”
A video documenting the incident revealed a woman who had been observing Forrest’s performance at the station before launching a sudden attack on him. Forrest, a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Music Under New York program, shared with NBC News that this incident has led him to make the decision to cease playing in the NYC subway system. Additionally, he mentioned that he is currently working on establishing a coalition to advocate for enhanced safeguards for subway musicians.
Forrest is advocating for the collection of more specific data in addition to the information on reported attacks that the NYPD currently records.
According to him, there is no comprehensive record or systematic monitoring of targeted attacks against musicians. He believes that by identifying and analyzing these patterns, such as attacks on solo musicians at specific locations and times, authorities can allocate resources more effectively to prevent such incidents with the help of the NYPD.
Hunter is scheduled to appear in court on April 4 for a hearing.
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