By Frank Ulom
NEW YORK (CONVERSEER) – Five men with alleged ties to the notorious MS-13 gang have been indicted in connection with two violent attacks that occurred in Nassau County, New York, last year.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, the accused are alleged members of the MS-13 Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas clique.
They have been identified as Elias Bonilla, Edras Giron, Jeffrey Archaga, Pedro Velasquez, and Kelvin Martinez.
The first incident took place in October 2024 at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead, where prosecutors say the suspects jumped a fence and ambushed a group of people playing football.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly described the incident as a brutal assault.
“It was shocking, I mean they hopped the fence, attacked the people who were playing soccer, there was one machete, there were knives,” Donnelly said.
Six individuals, aged between 20 and 51, sustained injuries during the attack.
The second attack reportedly occurred on 18 December 2024, when two people were assaulted with pipes and a machete outside a laundromat in Uniondale.
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District Attorney Donnelly noted that the rise in MS-13-linked violence in the area is a matter of serious concern.
“We’re not giving up; we are not going to let MS-13 take back any of the area in Nassau County that they had years ago. We are fighting back, the police are fighting back,” she stated.
Community members have expressed fear following the incidents, with some unwilling to speak on record.
One parent, however, condemned the gang activity, saying: “I’m not a fan of gangs, so I don’t think it has any place in the community.”
News 12 further reported that three of the five men indicted are also accused of entering the United States unlawfully.
All five suspects have been remanded into custody at the Nassau County Correctional Centre following their indictment.
