Sunday, October 4, 2026
Five alleged members of the MS-13 Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas gang were indicted for conspiracy, attempted murder, assault, and robbery following two violent attacks in Hempstead on October and Uniondale, last year in October and December.
Elias Serrano Bonilla, 21, Pedro Martinez Velasquez, 18, Kelvin Martinez and Edras Daniel Velazquez Giron, both 19, and Jeffrey Valladares Archaga, 20, have each been arraigned on charges including conspiracy, attempted murder, gang assault, robbery, and weapons possession.
All five pleaded not guilty and were remanded. If convicted, they face up to 25 years in prison.
Prosecutors said the young men allegedly attacked six victims 20 to 51 years old, with knives and a machete at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead while playing soccer around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 20.
“MS-13 has a long and violent history in New York, particularly on Long Island, where its members have terrorized communities for decades,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a news release. “These indictments demonstrate that my office is committed to eradicating MS-13 and all gangs from Nassau County.
“My office won’t stand for this kind of threat to safety and won’t allow MS-13 to grip our communities with torment. We will stop at nothing to eliminate gang violence before it escalates, and to protect the safety and sanctity of every family who calls Nassau home, she added.”
Bonilla, Velasquez, Martinez, and Giron allegedly began to kick and punch the victims. Martinez allegedly stabbed one of the victims in the chest with a knife, another in the shoulder and one more victim in the rib cage, requiring the removal of his gallbladder, with other complications, according to the District Attorney’s office.
Meanwhile Giron stuck a victim in the back with a machete removed from his pants. A machete wound also struck the victim in the left forearm cause a deep cut through the muscle.
During the alleged attack, Archaga waiting nearby in a getaway vehicle and the four suspects entered and drove off according to officials.
Police executed a court-authorized search of the getaway car and recovered a knife with an eagle-shaped handle and the letters “MS” etched into it.
Kennet Contreras, 24, and Edwin Patzan Piri, 18, were also arrested in connection with the alleged attack on Dec. 18.
Bonilla allegedly punched one victim as that person got out of the car by the front passenger seat. Bonilla, Contreras, and Velasquez are then seen surveillance footage recovered from the scene allegedly striking two victims, with a long white pipe.
A victim was also allegedly kicked in the chest by Martinez. Surveillance footage showed Piri allegedly removing a machete from his waistband and swinging it roughly 14 times at one victim, hitting that person about eight times.
Bonilla was arrested at his home in East Meadow, Giron in Uniondale, Archaga in Hempstead by county police and the FBI, all on Aug. 8.
Archaga was in court on Aug. 18. Giron is due back in court on Aug 21.
“The Nassau County Police Department has zero tolerance for any gang activity or criminal conduct that threatens the safety of our residents or visitors,” NCPD Commissioner Patrick Ryder said in the release.
