Defendant’s day-long crime spree in New Rochelle and White Plains include robberies at knifepoint and a hate-fueled attack of an Asian store owner
December 10, 2024
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah, New Rochelle Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola and White Plains Public Safety Commissioner David Chong announced today that a Suffolk County man was sentenced to an indeterminate term of 14½ to 29 years in state prison for two robberies and a burglary involving multiple victims in New Rochelle and White Plains including a hate-fueled violent assault of an Asian store owner.
DA Rocah said: “This case demonstrates our commitment to combatting violence and hate crimes on the streets of our communities. I am grateful to our police partners in New Rochelle and White Plains for their assistance in bringing this defendant to justice.”
The defendant, Michael Bagley, 34, of Coram, New York, was sentenced before New York State Supreme Court Justice James McCarty in Westchester County Court following his July 17 guilty plea to felony charges of Robbery in the Third Degree as a Hate Crime, two counts of Robbery in the Third Degree, and Burglary in the Third Degree.
The defendant also awaits sentencing in Suffolk County for prior felony convictions.
Commissioner Gazzola said: "Today’s sentencing reflects our unwavering commitment to justice and the safety of our community. The individual responsible for this violent crime spree faces significant consequences for their actions. We remain dedicated to holding offenders accountable and ensuring that our streets remain secure."
Commissioner Chong said: "White Plains Public Safety, working in conjunction with our law enforcement partners in New Rochelle and the District Attorney’s Office, was successful in tracking down a dangerous career criminal preying on the residents and businesses of Westchester County. This joint effort should be a message to all who think they can commit violent crimes in Westchester that all law enforcement agencies will work together and bring dangerous criminals to face the justice they deserve.”
At approximately 3:45 p.m. on March 16, 2023, the defendant entered a business on Main Street in New Rochelle and stole money, an iPhone and an iPad while wielding a knife and yelling anti-Asian and gender-based slurs at the store owner.
During the robbery, the defendant pushed the store owner to the ground and against merchandise, dragged her across the floor, and hit her in the head with a door, causing her a concussion, broken ribs, a spinal injury and multiple lacerations.
The victim, who was treated at a nearby hospital, continues to rehabilitate from her injuries.
The defendant fled on foot toward the nearby vicinity of Woodland Avenue and Elm Street in New Rochelle where he stole $1,800 in cash from an elderly couple on the street before entering an occupied home on Laurel Place where he refused to leave after confronting the homeowner.
The homeowner, while stalling the defendant, texted a neighbor who called the police. The New Rochelle Police Department responded to the scene and arrested the defendant.
Following an investigation by New Rochelle and White Plains police, the defendant was linked to a robbery in White Plains that occurred just before the New Rochelle incidents.
At approximately 12:28 p.m. that day, the defendant followed a White Plains victim into a stairwell of a commercial building on Maple Avenue and stole the victim’s wallet, phone and headphones at knifepoint and fled.
The case was prosecuted by Hate Crimes Unit Deputy Bureau Chief Catalina Blanco Buitrago, with assistance from the New Rochelle Branch.
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