Justin Murrell: Car thief who left cop paralyzed nabbed for stealing car while ON BAIL for another crime
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A serial car thief was arrested in New York City reportedly for the 12th time on March 28, 2022, highlighting the city's extremely lax sentences for career criminals. 20-year-old Justin Murrell was out on bail for a previous arrest for stealing a car, when he decided to steal a vehicle from the John F Kennedy airport in February 2022, and lead cops on a chase. He was finally arrested after NYPD identified him using CCTV footage.
New York, like many Democrat-controlled cities, is facing a massive surge in crime, many residents have put down to the reforms by District Attorneys. When he took office in January, Manhattan's DA Alvin Bragg said he would downgrade some felonies, echoing moves made by Los Angeles DA George Gascon and Gascon's successor Chesa Boudin. All the DAs have promised to reform criminal justice systems to be less racist, but it appears those plans are now backfiring.
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Instead of cracking down on racial bias, the reforms have only led to a massive surge in crime nationwide. A good example of this in action is the case of Murrell, who was arrested for a third time in March 2022 and doesn't appear to have learned his lesson.
Who is Justin Murrell?
Little is known about the car robber, who appears to be something of a career criminal with a reported 11 prior arrests. Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch dubbed him an "attempted cop-killer" and said he "represents everything that is wrong with our justice system right now." The man is reportedly a member of the G-Stone Crips, a New York City gang, but so far, none of his arrests have been tied back to the gang.
Murrell was arrested in June 2017 as a 15-year-old. He was being questioned by NYPD Detective Dalsh Veve, when Murrell decided to take off in a car, dragging Veve behind him for two blocks. The officer was left permanently paralyzed by the incident, and unable to speak. Murrell was later found guilty of assault, but not second-degree murder, and sentenced to a maximum of four years as a juvenile.
Despite widespread condemnation, he was released in 2020 but quickly found himself in trouble again. On May 23, 2021, he was busted again after causing a crash in Brooklyn with a stolen car. That left him with a 33-count indictment, but he ultimately pleaded guilty to felony assault. Murrell posted the $25,000 bail in the case and is due to be sentenced on May 27, 2022. While he awaited sentencing, he decided it would be a good idea to steal a car again, and did so on February 16.
Reports say Murrell led Port Authority cops on a chase after stealing a car from JFK Airport, but this time managed to get away. Cops found the car days later and managed to link it to Murrell through surveillance footage. Once again, he was arrested and slapped with several charges, including possession of stolen property. And yet again, he was released on bail. It's unclear what amount at this time.
Lynch was just one of the many to condemn Murrell's latest arrest and release. "We had a judge and elected officials who thought he should be given yet another chance and put right back on the street. That extra chance could have gotten a police officer or innocent New Yorker killed.” NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association President Paul DiGiacomo also weighed in saying, "It is imperative for public safety that he faces serious consequences as it is quite clear he has no intentions of changing his criminal ways."