Only hours after attempting to stab Rep. Lee Zeldin (R., N.Y.), a New York man was released from jail without bail.
Suspect David Jakubonis was charged with attempted second-degree assault by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office in Rochester, N.Y. and released him before his actual trial, as stated by a press release.
The suspect, an Iran war veteran, had been intoxicated when he attempted to use a small weapon with two sharp prongs to stab Zeldin.
He told the representative “You’re done,” before swinging at him during a campaign speech for veterans in Perinton.
His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were “you’re done”, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy.
Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes.
The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws. pic.twitter.com/wZEyIyrjFe
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 22, 2022
“After being charged with a felony for last night’s attack, the man who tried to stab me was instantly released back onto the street due to New York’s insane cashless bail law,” Zeldin told the Washington Free Beacon. “Too many people throughout our state have suffered violent attacks and even death, as a result of criminals who were allowed to walk free because of soft-on-crime bail policy. We must repeal cashless bail in New York!”
The New York Times reported criminal justice reform legislation passed in 2019 bars judges from setting bail because the charge is “nonviolent.”
This attack comes in light of an increasing number of elected officials facing threats of violence.
Zeldin is running to take New York Democratic governor Kathy Hochul’s seat in November. Thankfully the congressman was uninjured as members of his campaign staff restrained the suspect until law enforcement arrived on scene.
In addition to New York, countless other states have seen crime rise over the past two years. In fact, Zeldin’s assault took place in Rochester, a city that sets all-time record highs for homicides in 2021.
Zeldin is one of two Jewish Republicans in Congress. New York experienced a record number of assaults against Jews in 2021, as anti-Semitic incidents have reached an all-time high nationwide.
