Third suspect arrested in Hempstead Lake machete attack

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A third person that is believed to be a member of the MS-13 gang was arrested on Oct. 28 in connection to a stabbing attack in Hempstead Lake State Park in May that injured three teens.

Cesar David Avila-Rodriguez, 17, of Hempstead, was arrested and arraigned on three counts of second-degree attempted murder, three counts of second-degree assault, and two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon following an investigation by the New York State Park Police and local law enforcement agencies.

Avila-Rodriguez was arrested by Nassau County detectives and turned over to the park police. His arrest is a result of an assault on May 23 at Hempstead Lake State Park in which Avila-Rodriguez, along with two others, allegedly attacked three teenage victims, all students at Hempstead High School. Avila-Rodriguez is the third suspect arrested for the assault.

It was reported that a knife and a machete were used in the attacks.

Two of the victims were minors. Two suffered minor injuries and one was slightly more serious, but not life-threatening.

In June, 17-year-old Francisco Romero of Hempstead, who is also affiliated with the gang, was arrested and faced six felony charges and one misdemeanor. The Herald is awaiting confirmation of the identity of the second suspect.

A past Washington Post report stated that the MS-13 gang, known more formally as the Mara Salvatrucha gang, was formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s and with leadership in El Salvador, has spread throughout the country. The gang has thousands of members in the United States, and gained notoriety more than 10 years ago after a series of bloody attacks in Northern Virginia.