A week after being released from prison, a felon has been rearrested by the police for trying to rob a bank in Manhattan.
The 40-year-old has a record for being violent but was released from prison after several of the inmates inside Rikers Island tested positive for coronavirus. James Little was released from prison on March 28 after being incarcerated for strangulation earlier that month. According to reports, he tried to rob an Apple Bank on Irving Place in Gramarcy Park.
Little wore a mask and gloves and passed a note to the teller demanding money, but had to leave empty-handed. He was caught the next day by the police. The police have linked two other robberies that took place in Capital One branches in Midtown in December and January to the felon.
The man has already served around 20 years in prison for a murder that took place on Coney Island. He was around 16 years old when he was arrested for the crime in 1995. He was sentenced to life for the murder he committed in 1995 after which he was released on parole in 2016. He was arrested again in march for choking and injuring his girlfriend while her 13-year-old son was at home.
New York Mayor on the release of the inmates because of coronavirus
In March, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said inmates from the Rikers prison would be released because several were showing signs of having Covid-19. After the increase in pressure from the number of cases and symptoms, some of the prisoners were freed after much consideration on the part of the authorities.
US prisons are releasing low-risk inmates after coronavirus cases started being reported. The unsanitary environment in some of the prisons could lead to coronavirus spread, and conditions could deteriorate if the situation continues. The American Civil Liberties Union and The Sentencing Project have said the disease poses an "unprecedented threat."
The prosecutors, police and other organisations have questioned the release of those arrested for crimes such as murder.
Two other individuals were rearrested by the police for committing crimes after being released because of the coronavirus spread.
