DAVID BARIL SENTENCED TO 22 YEARS IN PRISON FOR ASSAULTING POLICE OFFICER AND STRANGERS WITH HAMMER

Defendant Attacked Three Victims Over Three Days Before Assaulting Police Officer

  Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., today announced the sentencing of DAVID BARIL, 32, to 22 years in state prison for using a hammer to attack an NYPD officer and three other victims during a three-day series of assaults. On May 22, 2017, the defendant pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer and Assault in the Second Degree.

 

“For two full days in 2015, New Yorkers were gripped with fear as a hammer-wielding man was on the loose in Manhattan,” said District Attorney Vance. “David Baril randomly attacked three strangers in three separate, public locations in the span of a few hours on a single day. Two days later, the heroic actions of two police officers brought his spree to an end, but not before the defendant turned his hammer on one of the officers. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I would like to thank those officers for their bravery, as well as the prosecutors in my office for bringing this defendant to justice.”  

 

As admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, at approximately 1:45 p.m. on May 11, 2015, BARIL approached a group of people on the street near West 35th Street and 6th Avenue and struck a 20-year-old man in the back of the head with a hammer. The defendant immediately headed south on 6th Avenue, and several hours later, used the same hammer to attack another person in Union Square Park, hitting a 28-year-old woman on the side of the head. No more than five minutes later, he attacked a third victim on West 17th Street, approaching a 33-year-old woman from behind and using the hammer to strike the back of her head. BARIL was identified as a suspect using surveillance footage, eyewitness accounts, and other means. 

 

Two days later, at approximately 10:00 a.m. on May 13, 2015, Police Officers Lauren O’Rourke and Geraldo Casaigne recognized BARIL on the corner of West 37th Street and 8th Avenue, and approached him. The defendant then removed a hammer from his pocket and repeatedly struck Officer O’Rourke’s head and body before Officer Casaigne drew his gun, fired multiple shots at BARIL, and struck him four times—including once in the back. The defendant dropped the hammer, which was later recovered at the scene.

 

Assistant District Attorneys Courtney Groves, Lisa Franchini, and David Drucker handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Lisa DelPizzo, Chief of Trial Bureau 30, Assistant District Attorney Warren Murray, Chief of Trial Bureau 50, Assistant District Attorney Eugene Porcaro, Senior Supervising Attorney of the Trial Division, and Executive Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division.

 

 

Defendant Information:

 

DAVID BARIL, D.O.B. 7/27/1984

Bronx, NY

 

Convicted:

• Attempted Aggravated Assault Upon a Police Officer, a class C felony, 1 count
• Assault in the Second Degree, a class D felony, 3 counts

 

Sentenced:

• 22 years in state prison
• 5 years’ post-release supervision