MS-13 Members Face Attempted Murder Charges On Long Island: Police

Three self-admitted MS-13 gang members were arrested Tuesday for attempting to kill a man in Westbury, police say.

According to authorities, brothers Fidel Hernandez, 23, and Jose Hernandez, 26, of New Cassel, and Miguel Urias Arguenta, 18, of Westbury, got into a dispute with a 19-year-old man when it took a violent turn around 12:15 a.m. on Sunday. Police said Fidel Hernandez took out a machete and struck the 19-year-old across the abdomen, causing an abrasion. The man tried to defend himself, causing Jose Hernandez to take out a 9mm handgun and fire multiple shots at the victim, police say.

The Hernandez brothers and Arguenta fled the scene on foot.

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An investigation led to their arrests on Tuesday. Fidel Hernandez and Arguenta were arrested on Railroad and Magnolia avenues at 5 p.m., and Jose Hernandez was arrested a few hours later on Broadway and Sherman Street in Westbury.

“All three have demonstrated that they are extremely dangerous people.” Nassau County Police Acting Chief of Department Kevin Smith said at a press conference in Mineola.

Arguenta was charged with second-degree attempted murder.

The Hernandez brothers face additional charges for an alleged assault that took place on Jan. 15 in Westbury. In that incident, a 19-year-old man was conversing with the Hernandez brothers on Kinkel Street when Jose Hernandez pulled out a machete and slashed the man, leaving a deep laceration across the side of his face, police say.

For both incidents, Fidel Hernandez was charged with two counts of second-degree attempted murder and fourth-degree possession of a dangerous weapon. Jose Hernandez was charged with two counts of second-degree attempted murder, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree crininal possession of a weapon.

The Hernandez brothers and Arguenta were all born in El Salvador, entered the country as undocumented immigrants and purport to be MS-13 gang members, police say. Two of them reportedly have prior records.

Police say Fidel Hernandez has a prior record of trespassing, robbery, stalking and acting in a manner likely to be injurious to a child less than 17 years of age, while Arguenta has pending charges related to burglary, criminal mischief, possession of burglary tools and obstructing governmental administration.

All three men were arraigned Wednesday in First District Court in Hempstead.

The investigation is ongoing, and police are trying to determine if the case is related to any events that have occurred in Suffolk County.

In April, the MS-13 street gang is believed to be responsible for the bodies of four young men found in a Central Islip park. Just a few miles away in Brentwood, police say MS-13 gang members killed numerous people, including Brentwood High School students Nisa Mickens and Kayla Cuevas last year. Thirteen MS-13 members have been charged in connection to seven murders in Brentwood over the past several years.

Photo: (l-r) Fidel Hernandez, Jose Hernandez and Miguel Urias Arguenta

Images via NCPD