Police advocates are calling for justice after they say a suspect accused of assaulting a hospital police officer was released the next day without bail.

According to a criminal complaint, Sgt. Mike Throp, a police officer at Jacobi Medical Center for eight years, approached a livery cab illegally parked outside the hospital. When he asked the driver for his license and registration, 21-year-old Presley Alverez sped off, dragging Throp with him for a block-and-a-half.

Alverez was arrested on charges of assault and lawful fleeing of a police officer in a motor vehicle, but a judge released him a day later on his own recognizance. Clark Pena, who represents more than 900 city hospital police officers, says not pursuing the case is an "assault on the city."