Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Lawyers For Pedro Hernandez, Bail Reform Cause Célèbre, Say He Was Set Up Again
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Apr 9, 2019
Modified Apr 9, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Courtesy of Manuel Gomez
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Apr 9, 2019
Modified Apr 9, 2019
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Pedro Hernandez, the Bronx teenager whose year-long pre-trial detention on Rikers Island helped build momentum for ending cash bail, was arrested this weekend for his alleged role in an assault and robbery. But attorneys for the 19-year-old maintain that their client has been set up once again, and that the arrest is just the latest in a series of retaliations against Hernandez for his efforts to expose police and prosecutorial misconduct.
According to an NYPD spokesperson, Hernandez and a pair of unidentified accomplices approached two men — ages 19 and 20 — who were waiting for a cab in the Bronx at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning. The assailants allegedly struck the two with a baseball bat, before taking off with their credit cards and jewelry. During the assault, police said, the 20-year-old victim managed to "take the knife from Pedro Hernandez and subsequently used it to defend himself."
Following the altercation, Hernandez checked himself into a hospital for stab wounds to his face and back. Three hours later, as he was still receiving medical attention, police showed up at the hospital and charged him with robbery, assault, and menacing. The two other accomplices who allegedly instigated the assault alongside Hernandez have not yet been located.
Attorneys with the Bronx Defenders, as well as a private investigator closely connected to the Hernandez family, say they have good reason to doubt the cops' narrative. In a statement, public defender Julia Deutsch said it was actually Hernandez who was attacked, and that he was arrested and "forcibly removed" from the hospital as part of the police campaign to bring "harassment and false charges" against him.
Since making headlines for refusing to take a plea deal in the 2015 shooting case that landed him on Rikers — and which the Bronx District Attorney later dropped — Hernandez has been stopped without justification multiple times, his attorney said, most recently for driving without a license this past December. He has not been convicted for that offense.
"The details of this case will come out and the truth will prevail," Deutsch added. "Mr. Hernandez is still in need of medical attention that was denied by the NYPD and he is seeking that now."
Private Investigator Manuel Gomez, a former NYPD officer who previously located the eyewitnesses who helped Hernandez beat the shooting charge, also told Gothamist he'd obtained testimony undermining the NYPD's version of events. According to Gomez, Hernandez and his two friends were planning to get breakfast with a pair of female friends on Sunday, when the two women walked out of the building accompanied by two other men. After exchanging "dirty looks" with Hernandez and his friends, the two men got in an Uber with the intention of returning, the private investigator claimed.
"They went to go get their weapons and came back to stomp Pedro," asserted Gomez, who said his account was based on interviews with the two female witnesses. When the two men returned, "the girls asked, 'Why are you back?' and they said, 'because they looked at us.' One of the girls said, 'Please don't do anything,'" said Gomez. "It's clear their intent was not good."
In Gomez's telling, Hernandez's attackers are members of the Trinitarios, a violent gang believed to be behind the murder of Lesandro "Junior" Guzman-Feliz last summer. A police spokesperson did not respond to questions about the alleged victim's potential gang affiliations.
"The cops have done nothing less than try to destroy the image of this young man," said Gomez. "Evidence will prove, once again, that vindictive police falsely arrested Pedro."
A spokesperson for the Bronx District Attorney's Office did not respond to Gothamist's inquiries.
Tagged
bronx
bronx district attorney
cash bail
nypd
pedro hernandez
Rikers Island
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
Officers responding to a call at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 173rd Street around 1 a.m. found 29-year-old Sulimon Ferrier, who had multiple stab wounds to his chest, police said.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 3, 2026 at 4:38 p.m. ET
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
News
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
By
Catalina Gonella
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
By
Willow Higgins
A big, bright Saturn will be the highlight of NYC's fall stargazing season
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .