Three members of the MS-13 gang have been arrested and charged with attempted murder for two separate machete attacks, Newsday reported Wednesday.
The more recent attack on Sunday involved the brothers Fidel and Jose Hernandez. The two got into an altercation with an unnamed 19-year-old victim after reportedly interrogating him for laughing. Fidel allegedly slashed the victim in the stomach with a machete while Jose shot at him several times with a handgun.
A third MS-13 gang member, Miguel Urias Arguenta, was also at the scene of the crime. Police say the Hernandez brothers and Arguenta fled the scene while gang patrol officers responded to a 911 call.
The attack occurred in Westbury, N.Y. on Long Island, about 20 miles from Brentwood and Central Islip, where police have connected MS-13 to 11 bodies in the past six months. Nassau Police Chief Kevin Smith said in a press conference that police were investigating any possible connection between Sunday's assault and the recent killings.
Nassau Police said the brothers are also responsible for an additional assault in Westbury perpetrated in January. In that instance, the victim was allegedly slashed across the face with a machete after being approached by the Hernandez brothers.
"They quickly engage him in conversation and soon Jose Hernandez pulls out a large machete and slashes the victim across the face, leaving a four-inch deep laceration wound," Smith said. "I think it's longer than four inches honestly when I took a look some of the pictures. It starts on the right top of his temple, comes all the way down by his ear. A significant, deep wound requiring multiple stitches, right side of his face."
The department had been monitoring the Hernandez brothers for several months, according to a spokesman.
"The Hernandez brothers were on the radar, they were being watched by gang investigators for a few months," the spokesman said. "We were monitoring their activity."
All three of the arrested men are undocumented immigrants from El Salvador. Arguenta and Fidel Hernandez both have a prior criminal record, whereas Jose Hernandez does not. According to Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano, "Homeland Security Investigations detainers are being sought."
All three are non-citizens. One is here on a pending green card. Homeland Security Investigations detainers are being sought.
— Ed Mangano (@edmangano) May 3, 2017
The two brothers are being charged with attempted murder and possession of a dangerous weapon, while Arguenta is being charged with attempted murder. The three men will be arraigned on Wednesday.
The arrests come just a few days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions (R., Ala.) delivered a speech on Long Island in which he vowed to defeat the gang as part of a larger crackdown on illegal immigration.
"The MS-13 motto is kill, rape, and control," Sessions said. "Our motto is justice for victims and consequences for criminals. That's how simple it is. Prosecute them, and after they've been convicted, if they're not here lawfully, they're going to be deported."
"I have a message for the gangs that target our young people," he continued. "We are targeting you. We are coming after you."
Sessions explained that the organization is based out of jails in El Salvador and has about 30,000 members, and around 10,000 are located in the United States.
Sessions is not the only politician to call for more action against MS-13 in recent days. On April 26, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D.) announced a State Police task force dedicated to gang violence, specifically as a remedy to MS-13.
"They are a network that has created horrendous crimes," Cuomo said of the violent gang. "Their currency is fear and intimidation and they are getting more outrageous and more obnoxious in their activities."