As Sean Hannity was interviewing the founder of the Guardian Angels, a New York City-based vigilante group known for targeting immigrants, an off-screen disturbance took place and the camera panned to show group members confronting an unidentified man, pushing him to the sidewalk and placing him in a headlock.
The bizarre incident played out Tuesday night during the primetime segment on Fox News meant to highlight alleged disorder and crime Hannity claimed was caused by asylum seekers arriving in New York City.
Curtis Sliwa, the Guardian Angels founder, proclaimed: “In fact, our guys have just taken down one of the migrant guys on the corner of 42nd and Seventh where all of this has taken place.” Throwing his hands in the air, he added: “They’ve taken over!”
The man is not a “migrant” but rather a New Yorker from the Bronx, police said on Wednesday afternoon. Though Sliwa claimed the man had been caught shoplifting, police provided no evidence to support the allegation.
While the disturbing altercation played out on national television, Hannity blasted Democrats “for the surge of Joe Biden’s unvetted illegals in New York. And that could be because the so-called border czar is a little distracted right now,” alluding to the vice-president, Kamala Harris.
According to a New York police department spokesperson, officers arrived to find a man “detained by bystanders” after he allegedly tried to disrupt a live interview. Police said the man had been issued a disorderly conduct summons because he had been acting in a loud and threatening manner on a public sidewalk.
The spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether any members of the Guardian Angels were under investigation for their role in the altercation.
The incident came after a brawl in Times Square between police and a group of people generated waves of backlash against the city’s asylum seekers. Some advocates for immigrants have blamed local officials and the police department for stoking fears of a “migrant crime wave”, even as the city’s crime rate remains largely unchanged since the arrival of tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Sliwa said he had believed the man was a migrant because he had been “speaking Spanish” and because other Guardian Angels had encountered him with other Spanish speakers on previous patrols.
“He was put down so he wouldn’t hurt himself or anyone else,” said Sliwa, who has admitted in the past that he has fabricated stories of criminal behavior to sensationalize the issue of immigration.
The Guardian Angels have been a fixture in New York City since 1979, when Sliwa founded the group to patrol the streets and subways during the city’s high-crime days. Members have drawn criticism, including allegations of targeting people of color.
City councilmember Erik Bottcher, who represents the area around Times Square, said the group should not be detaining people without legal authority.
“Vigilantism is not the answer,” Bottcher said. “When civilians take justice into their own hands, it can escalate conflicts and lead to even more dangerous situations, putting everyone at risk.”
In May, a US Marine veteran riding the subway placed a fellow passenger in a chokehold to stop him from yelling at people on the train. The subdued man, the former subway performer Jordan Neely, died. The ex-marine, Daniel Penny, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
