A member of MS-13.

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

Five MS-13 gang members are facing attempted murder and related charges after carrying out violent machete and pipe attacks on Long Island, prosecutors alleged.

The defendants – alleged members of the Hempstead Locos Salvatruchas (HLS) clique of MS-13 – were indicted on attempted murder, assault, and robbery charges in Nassau County Court this month.

Their charges stem from two incidents that occurred in Hempstead and Uniondale in October and December 2024, respectively.

The first attack happened on Oct. 20, 2024, at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead. Surveillance video showed four of the defendants entering a soccer field and attacking six men with knives and a machete, prosecutors said.

Victims, ranging in age from 20 to 51, suffered serious injuries, including stab wounds to the chest and rib cage and deep lacerations from a machete.

A fifth defendant waited nearby in a vehicle and drove the group away after the attack, prosecutors said. Police later recovered a knife from the car etched with the letters “MS.”

The second attack occurred on Dec. 18, 2024, outside a Uniondale laundromat. Three of the defendants and two other suspects used white pipes and a machete to assault two men in a parked car, according to investigators.

Surveillance video allegedly captured the group striking one victim at least eight times with a machete. Both victims suffered deep cuts and head injuries.

The defendants identified themselves as MS-13 members during the assault and threatened to kill the victims, prosecutors said.

“My office won’t stand for this kind of threat to safety and won’t allow MS-13 to grip our communities with torment,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. 

“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 defendants were identified as:

  • Elias Serrano Bonilla, 21
  • Pedro Martinez Velasquez, 18
  • Kelvin Martinez, 19
  • Edras Daniel Velazquez Giron, 19
  • Jeffrey Valladares Archaga, 20

All five pleaded not guilty at their arraignments and were ordered held. They face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.