At least two migrants charged over brutal Times Square cops beating are identified as members of barbaric Venezuelan super-gang Tren de Aragua whose gangsters are hiding among refugees to cross US-Mexico border
At least two of the suspects in the brutal beating of two officers in Times Square have been identified as alleged members of a notorious Venezuelan gang.
Wilson Juarez, 21, and Kelvin Servita-Arocha, 19, have been charged in the attack that happened last month.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have since confirmed that the two men are believed to belong to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Spokeswoman Marie Ferguson said the New York Post“Both non-citizens have been identified as members of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua.”
Juarez and Arocha were arrested by officers at a Bronx apartment after police issued an arrest warrant for another migrant wanted in connection with the attack.
Wilson Juarez, right, and Kelvin Servita-Arocha, left, have been charged in the attack that happened last month
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have since confirmed that the two men are believed to belong to the Tren de Aragua gang, pictured during a September prison raid
Arocha was arrested on an ICE warrant and his custody status will be reevaluated.
Juarez was arrested on a deportation order issued a year ago by a judge in El Paso, Texas, according to the Post.
Earlier this month, a senior FBI agent said Tren De Aragua could join forces with one of Latin America’s most feared armed groups in New York City.
Special Agent John Morales said the agency is concerned the gang could join the infamous MS-13.
“Although these gangs would not normally intermingle, it will always remain a concern as the (Tren de Aragua) grows in strength and gains a foothold,” Morales said.
“We are currently working with our local law enforcement partners and sharing intelligence to stop the growth of Tren de Aragua.”
El Tren de Aragua is less known than the Mexican cartels or Mara Salvatrucha, commonly known as MS-13, who was born in an LA prison in the 1980s.
The gang was allowed to flourish under the regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and expanded to Colombia, Peru, Brazil and Chile.
A transgender sex worker in the Peruvian capital Lima was filmed begging for her life before being shot by gang members in February 2023.
The Tren de Aragua swimming pool which was next to a children’s play area
El Tren de Aragua moved into the neighborhood and they wanted to replace the local prostitutes with Venezuelan women.
Six were killed in one week and eighteen were shot in the feet as a warning not to walk the streets again. In 2023, another two dozen were murdered, and another 35 are missing.
The Border Patrol apprehended at least 41 Tren de Aragua members attempting to cross the border between October 2022 and September 2023.
The name, which emerged in 2012, means “Aragua Train,” a reference to a union for train workers in Venezuela’s Aragua state.
In September, Venezuelan authorities raided Tocorón prison, the gang’s de facto headquarters.
The two officers in the incident, Lieutenant Ben Kurian and Officer Zunxu Tian, are said to have suffered cuts, bruises and significant shoulder pain.
The two are among eight people who allegedly attacked two NYPD officers in Times Square last month, seen here
The raid made headlines around the world because of the images showing the luxury the prisoners lived in.
Within the walls of Tocorón, Tren de Aragua had built a zoo, complete with ocelots, lions and crocodiles; a swimming pool; a children’s playground; a baseball stadium with bleachers; restaurants; and a nightclub called Tokyo.
Arocha and Juarez are two of eight migrant suspects who allegedly attacked the two officers in Times Square.
The two officers in the incident, Lieutenant Ben Kurian and Officer Zunxu Tian, are said to have suffered cuts, bruises and significant shoulder pain.
Five of the suspects, including Juarez and Arocha, were released without bail, among the others were Yorman Reveron, 24, Jhoan Borada, 22, and Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, 19.
They were all charged with assault on a police officer and obstructing government investigations.
On Wednesday, Darwin Andres Gomez-Izquiel, who was released on bail after the brawl, was caught shoplifting and sent to Rikers Island.
Police say the teen was seen along with three other suspects Tuesday trying to steal about $608 worth of items from a Macy’s store in Queens.
Darwin Andres Gomez (left) and Kelvin Yorman Reveron were released without bail, Gomez was arrested earlier this week and taken to Rikers on theft charges
Jhoan Boada, 22, was arrested in connection with the attack and was pictured leaving the courthouse with his middle fingers up at reporters. He was not charged Thursday
A sixth suspect, Yohenry Brito, 24, was arraigned Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court and is the only one of the suspects being held on bail.
In court on Tuesday, 24-year-old Yohenry Brito was also released on bail after an activist priest posted $15,000 in bail.
He left jail after Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Brooklyn posted his bail, Pastor Juan Ruiz said.
“Our church is basically a sanctuary,” he told The New York Post. “We assume people are innocent until proven guilty.”
Brito’s bail was set by the prosecutor at $15,000 cash or $50,000 surety as he allegedly started the altercation and had two pending felony cases.
There were reports that four of the suspects had fled New York to California after being released on bail.
But the Manhattan district attorney’s office said Wednesday that two of them, Juarez and Arocha, were arrested Tuesday at the same location as Madris.
Ulises Bohorquez, 21, was the eight suspect arrested in connection with the attack. He could barely keep his eyes open for a lawsuit on Thursday
Another suspect Yarwuin Madris, 18, was arrested and charged and held without bail following an assault charge this week
On Thursday, 21-year-old suspect Ulises Bohorquez pleaded not guilty in court during a hearing on second-degree assault charges after he was captured by police.
Bohorquez, handcuffed and wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black jacket and dark gray jeans, spoke only to enter a plea and listened to the proceedings through a Spanish interpreter as tears were wiped from his face.
Before the hearing, Bohorquez could be seen falling asleep and struggling to keep his eyes open before the judge entered the court.
Another suspect Yarwuin Madris, 18, was arrested and charged and held without bail following an assault charge this week.
Bragg said there were a total of 12 suspects and his office presented evidence to a grand jury on Tuesday.
Police have not released the identities of four other suspects in the attack on the NYPD officers.