Police: MS-13 Gang Members Caught Trying To Abduct Teen In Brentwood
YAPHANK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Three known MS-13 gang members and two associates were arrested while trying to abduct a 16-year-old boy in Brentwood on Wednesday, Suffolk County police said.
Police Commissioner Tim Sini said the suspects targeted the teen near Brentwood High School. They verbally demanded he get into their van, but undercover officers saw what they were doing and placed them under arrest.
"Based on the evidence they were able to collect, we were able to charge all five of the individuals at the scene with conspiracy in the second degree. So essentially, a murder conspiracy," Sini said Thursday.
The commissioner said evidence shows the suspects planned to murder the teen, WCBS 880's Sophia Hall reported. They're also accused of hitting two other teens with bats earlier in the week.
MS-13 gang members have been linked to at least 22 killings on Long Island this year, including the deaths of Nisa Mickens and 16-year-old Kayla Cuevas, whose bodies were found on a tree-lined street in Brentwood last fall.
MS-13 originated in Los Angeles and has existed for decades, but in recent years the gang has taken over and terrorized Long Island.
More than 250 gang arrests have been made on Long Island since Sept. 2016.