Five members of MS-13’s Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas (HLS) gang were indicted for conspiracy, attempted murder, and other charges for allegedly attacking six victims with knives and a machete at a soccer field in Hempstead in October 2024 and allegedly attacking two victims in the parking lot of a Uniondale laundromat with white pipes and a machete two months ago.
Elias Serrano Bonilla, 21, Pedro Martinez Velasquez, 18, and Kelvin Martinez, 19, were arraigned on August 11, 2025, August 14, 2025, and August 15, 2025, respectively, before Judge Joy Watson on grand jury indictment charges of:
- one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony)
- eight counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (all Class B violent felonies)
- one count of Gang Assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony)
- one count of assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony)
- seven counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree (all Class C violent felonies)
- nine counts of Assault in the Second Degree (all Class D violent felonies)
- seven counts of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (all Class E felonies)
- seven counts of Assault in the Third Degree (all Class A misdemeanors)
- Four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree (an A misdemeanor);
- two counts of Robbery in the Second Degree (both Class C violent felonies)
- three counts of Robbery in the Second Degree (all Class C violent felonies)
- one count of Robbery in the Third Degree (a Class D felony)
Bonilla, Velasquez, and Martinez pleaded not guilty and were remanded. Velasquez and Martinez are due back in court on August 19, 2025. Bonilla is due back in court on August 21, 2025.
The defendants each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Edras Daniel Velazquez Giron, 19, was arraigned on August 11, 2025, before Judge Joy Watson on grand jury indictment charges of:
- one count of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony)
- six counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (all Class B violent felonies)
- one count of Gang Assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony)
- one count of Assault in the First Degree (a Class B violent felony)
- five counts of Attempted Assault in the First Degree (all Class C violent felonies)
- five counts of Assault in the Second Degree (all Class D violent felonies)
- five counts of Attempted Assault in the Second Degree (all Class E felonies)
- five counts of Assault in the Third Degree (all Class A misdemeanors)
- two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree (both Class A misdemeanors)
Giron pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on August 21, 2025, and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Jeffrey Valladares Archaga, 20, was arraigned on August 12, 2025, before Judge Joy Watson on grand jury indictment charges of Conspiracy in the Second Degree (a Class B felony); Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree (a Class A misdemeanor) and New York Vehicle and Traffic Law violations.
Archaga pleaded not guilty and was remanded. He is due back in court on August 18, 2025, and faces up to 8-1/3 to 25 years in prison if convicted.
On October 20, 2024, at approximately 4:25 p.m., Bonilla, Velasquez, Giron, and Martinez allegedly attacked six victims with knives and a machete as the victims were playing soccer in broad daylight at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead.
Bonilla is considered among the HLS gang as its “homeboy,” or leader. On the day of the alleged incident, surveillance video recovered from the scene showed Bonilla walking along the fence line of the soccer field and approaching the victims.
Surveillance video further showed Velasquez, Martinez, and Giron hopping over the fence surrounding the soccer field and allegedly approaching the victims.
Bonilla, Velasquez, Martinez, and Giron then allegedly began to kick and punch the victims. Martinez removed an item from his pants pocket and allegedly stabbed a victim in the chest. Giron allegedly removed a machete from his pants and struck another victim in the back.
Among the injuries sustained by all six victims, who range in age from 20 to 51 years old, one victim was stabbed in his left shoulder, another victim was stabbed in his rib cage, requiring the removal of his gallbladder and repair to his diaphragm and liver, and another victim was struck by the machete in his left forearm, causing a deep laceration.
During the alleged attack, Archaga waited nearby in a getaway vehicle. Bonilla, Velasquez, Martinez, and Giron allegedly fled the scene after the attack and entered Archaga’s vehicle, who allegedly drove the defendants away from the scene.
A court-authorized search warrant of the getaway vehicle uncovered a knife with an eagle-shaped handle with the letters “MS” etched into it.
According to the indictment, on December 18, 2024, at approximately 8:48 p.m., Bonilla, Velasquez, and Martinez allegedly attacked two victims with white pipes and a machete as the victims were parked outside the Super Laundromat in Uniondale.
Two other individuals, Kennet Contreras, 24 and Edwin Patzan Piri, 18, were arrested in connection with the alleged attack on December 18, 2024.
Surveillance video recovered from the scene showed Bonilla allegedly punching one victim as the victim exited the front passenger seat of a vehicle. Bonilla, Contreras, and Velasquez are then seen allegedly striking the victim, including with a long white pipe.
As another victim attempted to run toward the other victim, he was kicked in the chest by Martinez. Surveillance video showed Piri allegedly removing a machete from his waistband and swinging it approximately 14 times at one victim, striking him approximately eight times.
The attackers allegedly identified themselves as MS-13 gang members and stated they were going to kill the victims.
One victim was struck with a machete multiple times and suffered a deep laceration to his left forearm and multiple cuts to his back. Another victim was struck with a white pipe and suffered a deep laceration to his forehead and multiple cuts to his body.
Bonilla was arrested on August 8, 2025, at his home in East Meadow by members of the Nassau County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Giron was arrested on August 8, 2025, in Uniondale, by members of the Nassau County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Archaga was arrested on August 8, 2025, at his home in Hempstead by members of the Nassau County Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“MS-13 has a long and violent history in New York, particularly on Long Island, where its members have terrorized communities for decades. These indictments demonstrate that my office is committed to eradicating MS-13 and all gangs from Nassau County,” said Nassau County DA Anne Donnelly. “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.”
“The Nassau County Police Department has zero tolerance for any gang activity or criminal conduct that threatens the safety of our residents or visitors,” said Nassau County Police Department Commissioner Patrick Ryder. “Our police officers and detectives worked to quickly apprehend these individuals and will continue to work with our partners in the Nassau County District Attorney’s office to bring them to justice. We will never stop working to keep Nassau County safe.”