NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A homeless man with a history of attacking people on the streets of the city was arrested again hours after he was released under the state’s new bail reform law.
The New York Post reports that 26-year-old Eugene Webb was busted for aggressive panhandling not far from a bank in Greenwich Village Friday night.
His arrest came two days after he allegedly punched a 23-year-old woman in the face near West Houston and Varick Street in Greenwich Village, causing two of her teeth to fall out.
Prosecutors believe he’s also the man responsible for an attack on a 35-year-old woman near Grand Central on Wednesday. That woman was punched and kicked in the head, according to the Post.
A judge released Webb at his arraignment Friday morning, but he was reportedly arrested again on West 4th Street in the Village Friday evening after he was caught aggressively panhandling and allegedly ran from cops.
Among the charges he faces: reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, criminal possession of a controlled substance (police say he had the drug K2 on him) and obstructing governmental administration. He is waiting to be arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court, according to ABC7.
According to the Post, Webb’s history of arrests include forcible touching, criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.
New York’s new law, which went into effect on Jan. 1, eliminates bail for many crimes, including nonviolent felonies.
Unions representing the city's police officers have voiced fears that the reforms will increase crime and allow criminals to roam the streets.