One try to attack Representative Lee Zeldina Republican candidate for governor of New York, ignited a fierce debate about the state’s public safety law on Friday, hours after a man was accused of The candidate with a sharp weapon was released without bail.
Mr. Zeldin has long made public safety a focus of his campaign against Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. But he and his allies argued on Friday that the case in essence prompted them to increase scrutiny and tighten New York’s bail laws to make it easier for judges to arrest those charged. certain crime.
“Only in Kathy Hochul’s New York could a madman violently attack a candidate for Governor and then be released without bail,” said Nick Langworthy, New York Republican Chairman, wrote on Twitter. “This is what happens when you destroy the criminal justice system.”
The incident happened on Thursday night outside a Veterans of Foreign Affairs hall near Rochester, where Mr Zeldin was hosting the first of a series of weekend campaign stops. A man, later identified by police as David G. Jakubonis, slowly approached him on stage.
Video footage of the incident showed that Mr. Jakubonis used a sharp self defense tool shaped like the face of a cartoon cat when it lunged at Mr. Zeldin. On the video, Mr Jakubonis can be heard repeatedly saying: “You’re done”.
Mr. Zeldin, a four-term congressman from Long Island and the military in reserve, was unhurt, when others rushed onto the stage and brought the man to the ground.
Jakubonis, 43, of Fairport, NY, was charged with attempted second-degree assault, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, and has admitted himself. Because the crime was committed, it is classified as a nonviolent felony. As of 2020, under New York law, judges have been barred from bail for that charge; Previously, prosecutors may have asked Mr. Jakubonis to be released on bail.
Many questions remained unanswered on Friday, including about what may have prompted Mr. Jakubonis, a former soldier, to target Mr. Zeldin.
Mr Zeldin is expected to continue his planned campaign bus tour around the state and deliver remarks on the incident on Friday morning. In a statement late Thursday, Mr. Zeldin said, “I remain determined to do my part to make New York safe again.”
But Republicans wasted little time claiming that the case – and Mr Jakubonis’ release – demonstrated a failure of bail laws enacted by Democrats in recent years.
Katie Vincentz said: “It is terrible public policy that in New York State you can try to stab a sitting member of Congress, or anyone else for that matter, and get back on the street and not come. six hours later,” said Katie Vincentz. a spokesman for Mr. Zeldin. “There’s not enough accountability for people when they commit crimes and this is just one of the many examples we hear in New York every day.”
The bail law, which originally went into effect in January 2020 and has been revised twice since, has been fiercely criticized by Republicans and some Democrats, who have linked it. increase certain types of crime. And the data shows no evidence that the law is responsible for those price spikes, the researchers said.
The law has allowed thousands of people to go free, instead of being held in prison after being unable to apply for bail for relatively minor crimes. The hit rate – which can indicate whether the law is contributing to the crime rate – has remained stable. But as certain crimes become more common, the total number of people charged, released, and then reclassified as a separate crime has grownprovides opponents of the regulation with numerous examples to attack the regulation.
Ms Hochul, who was traveling in California, condemned the incident on Thursday night.
Kitty Bennett contribution research.
