Yonkers police arrest 2 at migrant shelter; migrants claim mistreatment

Police said they responded after hotel staff called them about a man acting violently.

Jonathan Gordon

Apr 11, 2024, 1:53 AM

Updated 107 days ago

Share:

Body camera footage released by the Yonkers Police Department Wednesday evening shows most of the encounter between a group of migrants and officers who responded to the Ramada Inn Tuesday afternoon.
Police said they responded after hotel staff called them about a man acting violently.
Officials released part of the 911 call where an unidentified man said, "A guy's over here unruly, he's getting very violent with everybody, he's throwing stuff at everybody. Send somebody here right away."
Police said the incident began after shelter staff searched the man's room. It's unclear why the room was searched.
Video shows police putting handcuffs on the man, identified as 35-year-old Arnal Kent, as they struggle to pull him out of the hotel. The video continues to show the arrest spilling out into the parking lot as a crowd of about a dozen people surround the officers, shouting and filming the situation.
The video shows a woman, who police identified as 24-year-old Yainilet Hernandez, blocking police from putting Kent into the back of the car.
Eventually, Kent is put into the back of a patrol car.
The video skips ahead and in that time, police claim they waited for the situation to calm down before attempting to arrest Hernandez. Police said Hernandez attempted to hit several officers as they arrested her for obstructing their arrest of Kent. The video showed several officers tackling her to the ground.
She is eventually put into the back of the car before the video ends.
Hernandez is still in jail and being held on bail. She was charged with assault, obstruction and resisting arrest.
Kent was charged with menacing, disorderly conduct, obstruction and resisting arrest. He was released and spoke with News 12 through a translator Wednesday night.
"They only saw me as the aggressor but not the other person," Kent said.
It's unclear how many times Yonkers police responded to calls at the Ramada Inn since New York City relocated 250 adults and children there last May.
But in separate instances, several people staying at the hotel claimed the staff in charge of running the shelter mistreated them for months. They said Tuesday's incident was the result of that boiling over.
One woman claimed staff stole money from her during a room check when she wasn't there.
"Somebody called me and said there were people inside, opened the door, and took my money. I work hard. When I came here I asked what happened. The people said I have to call New York City to bring back my things," the woman said.
The incident and response prompted mixed responses from the community with one man saying he supported how it was handled.
"If you're not paying the rent, your room should be allowed to be checked," said Yonkers resident Chris Banks.
News 12 reached out to the Ramada Inn and Westhab, the nonprofit overseeing the shelter's operations, for comment but didn't hear back from either.
A man who identified himself to News 12 as head of security with Westhab said no one was available to speak Wednesday night.


More from News 12
1:52
Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

Hudson Valley doctors warn of listeria dangers following multi-state outbreak

2:04
Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

Sunny skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

0:38
Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

0:49
New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

New basketball documentary film 'The Process' has ties to Westchester

0:49
Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

Olympic watch party in Pomona cheers on Rockland athletes

0:32
Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

1:40
Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

0:52
Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

0:37
2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

1:30
Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

0:56
News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

1:02
Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

1:37
Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

2:33
Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

0:32
NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

0:40
State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

0:34
Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

0:40
Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

0:34
Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued

Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued