NYC Man Released Without Bail For Robbing Woman At Knifepoint Strikes Again; Arrested

A homeless man in Brooklyn who was released without bail for robbing a subway rider at knifepoint was arrested again for robbing a straphanger's iPhone.

Augustin Garcia, 63, was arrested thrice last week for stealing a 12-pack Coors Light beer from a Bronx bodega, robbing two Manhattan straphangers--wielding a knife at one of them, Your Content reported.

The alleged crime spree started around Nov. 21 around 7:30 p.m. when he swiped a dozen cans of beer from a bodega in the Bronx. He was charged with petty larceny and released without bail. On Nov. 22 at around 3:00 a.m., Garcia was back at it--he allegedly robbed a woman at knifepoint at the Canal Street station and asked her to "stay back" when she pursued him, Latin Times reported.

Manhattan prosecutors demanded Garcia be held without bail for his crimes but the judge denied it. Following this, he again snatched another woman’s iPhone at the Lenox Street station. All three arrests occurred in a span of 36 hours, the report stated.

Garcia allegedly boasted to NYPD (New York Police Department) officials that he would be released again because he didn't have any prior convictions. However, he was charged with felony robbery this time.

The accused was sent to Bellevue Hospital for a psych evaluation following his third arrest. Prosecutors spoke in favor of Garcia being held $20,000 cash bail or a $60,000 bail bond but their plea was again turned down by Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Valentina Morales.

"We can arrest people, we can cut them loose, incarcerate them, but it’s not addressing the underlying problems," a law enforcement source told New York Post. "There are so many underlying issues when it comes to revolving-door criminal justice problems. But by far, the No. 1 issue we see in cases … is mental health."

Garcia told cops that his brother, who was earlier employed as a supervisor at a welding company that worked with the U.S. Navy, stops him from taking his medicines stating that "god will cure him," according to Latin Times.

Garcia's arrest comes at a time when robberies have become increasingly common in New York City. The city recorded a 2.61 percent rise in crime rates as of Nov. 28, with robbery alone rising 3.7 percent.