The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg dismissed a case of attempted murder against a garage security guard who disarmed and shot a suspected car thief after the suspect fired two rounds at the guard when confronted for peeping into parked cars.
The event occurred at around 5:30 a.m. The New York Post said that on Saturday morning, 57-year-old overnight security guard Moussa Diarra approached a guy who was peeping into cars on the second level of the West 31st Street garage and asked to see into his bag on suspicion of theft, according to The Daily Wire.
When the two men struggled for custody of the pistol, the suspect, named by police as Charles Rhodie, 59, reportedly drew a revolver and shot Diarra twice; one round wounded him in the stomach and the second grazed his ear. According to sources cited by The Post, Diarra reportedly obtained the pistol and shot Rhodie in the chest.
Both males were transferred to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition before being detained awaiting the outcome of an ongoing investigation. When Bragg's office withdrew the attempted murder case against Diarra, officials first charged the security guard with assault and unlawful possession of a firearm.
In addition to burglary, Rhodie was also charged with attempted murder, assault, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
A representative for Bragg's office informed local media that pending additional investigation, prosecutors will not pursue charges against Diarra in the violent Saturday morning confrontation; nevertheless, they will continue to pursue charges against Rhodie.
A police officer who learned of the first allegation against the parking garage employee told The New York Post, “People like Alvin Bragg have made this city unsafe, and this worker is a victim defending himself.”
Opponents of District Attorney Bragg, who took office in January 2022, have accused him of creating a dangerous city where criminals feel empowered and law-abiding individuals are diminished.
Within a month after assuming office, Bragg was met with opposition from police officers, small business owners, and public officials in response to a letter instructing prosecutors not to pursue prison time for certain offenses, including robbery, assault, and gun possession.
According to The New York Times, his office then revised the letter, claiming that it had been "a source of confusion" and emphasizing that it was up to the office's prosecutors to choose how best to handle specific cases.
“You were hired for your keen judgment, and I want you to use that judgment — and experience — in every case,” he said.
According to crime figures provided by The Daily Mail, rapes, robberies, and assaults are on the rise after reaching levels not seen in the city for decades. The news source claimed a 7% rise in rapes, a 20% increase in robberies, and a range of 12% to 25% in assaults and thefts around the city.
Last year, prosecutors accused Manhattan bodega worker José Alba of murder after he stabbed and killed an attacker behind his counter in self-defense, a similar situation to the allegations against Diarra.
In accordance with the district attorney's policy, Alba was held in Rikers Island jail for six days after being charged with murder, until Bragg withdrew the charges in the face of intense public outcry.
Jennifer Harrison, the creator of Victim Rights NY, attacked the district attorney on Fox News on Sunday for being “completely incompetent” in light of Bragg's name being in the news before former President Trump's arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday.
