Supporter Lashes Out At Reporter After Brooklyn Bridge Attack Suspect's Court Appearance
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The fifth protester to be arrested in the attack of two NYPD lieutenants on the Brooklyn Bridge in December faced a judge Friday, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.
Jarrod Shanahan, 29, of Flatbush, known as "Suspect No. 2" is currently in police custody after turning himself in Thursday.
But it was one of Shanahan's supporters who lashed out following the hearing.
Fifth Suspect In Brooklyn Bridge Attack On NYPD Lieutenants Expected In Court
As Gold reported, Shanahan's family members and friends were at the arraignment where his lawyer fought for release from custody without bond.
"He has no criminal record. It's not a case where anyone would set bail," defense attorney Jesse Berman said.
However, the judge called the case "very troubling" and set it at $25,000.
One Shanahan supporter was so outraged by the decision that she ripped Gold's phone from her hand and threw it onto the ground.
The woman was in the courtroom on Friday when Shanahan faced a judge.
Shanahan faces charges of two counts of assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, obstructing government administration and rioting, 1010 WINS' Derricke Dennis reported.
Police say Shanahan was part of the group of seven protesters caught on video, going after the two lieutenants on December 13 during protests against the grand jury's decision to not indict the officer involved in the Eric Garner death.
According to investigators, Shanahan kicked the lieutenants and pulled them away as they tried to arrest 29-year-old Eric Linsker, the man accused of triggering the melee.
His lawyer offered no explanation for his client's alleged actions.
"This is not the trial. I'm not making my defense today," he said.
Detectives say they traced DNA on a black mask that was left behind after the alleged beating.
"It was the middle of December, at night, in the cold, where there were plenty of people wearing black caps and ski masks, and things like that," Berman said.
Shanahan is a community activist from Brooklyn. According to his attorney he is a psychology grad student at City University of New York and a teacher's assistant.
"He's the sweetest, nicest young man and absolutely delightful to be with," Berman said.
Linsker, a Baruch College professor, now faces criminal charges including resisting arrest; he is accused of hurling metal garbage cans over the bridge railing at police officers on the roadway below.
So far, investigators have tracked down five of the seven suspects linked to the violent encounter. They are still looking for a man and a woman.
Shanahan's next court appearance is set for January 7.
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