3 Arrested For Stabbing Are MS-13 Members From Huntington HS: DA

Three people arrested for a stabbing that broke out in Huntington Station on Wednesday have been confirmed as MS-13 gang members and students at Huntington High School, authorities announced on Thursday.

According to Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini, a group of teens who attend Huntington High School were in Burger King, located at 837 New York Ave., when they noticed a group of six males they recognized from school starting at them "in a menacing way" around 3:30 p.m. The teens felt "uncomfortable" and decided to leave the restaurant, but were followed by the group, the Sini says.

An altercation broke out outside the restaurant, where the group charged at the teens while wielding bats and knives, the DA says. A 16-year-old male was stabbed in the back and another 16-year-0ld male suffered minor injuries. The stabbed teen was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

The group fled the scene in a vehicle and the three individuals were placed under arrest and charged with second-degree assault:

• Nobeli Montes Zuniga, 20
• Ramon Arevalo Lopez, 19
• Oscar Canales Molina, 17

Police say they had blood on their clothing, hands and vehicle interior. Lopez made admissions that he stabbed the teen while Zuniga and Molina made admissions they were involved in the incident, the DA said. Molina additionally had two knives in his possession; one in each sock, the DA said. One knife had blood on it, the DA said.

The DA says Zuniga, Lopez and Molina are all from Huntington Station, enrolled at Huntington High School, entered the country illegally and are confirmed members of MS-13.

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"[MS-13 members] use violence to ensure that they are given respect," Sini said at a press conference. "This type of incidents fits within the modus operandi of MS-13, which is essentially seemingly senseless acts of violence."

The cause of the fight is under investigation and may factor into whether there will be additional charges.

"While it's not clear what the groups were fighting about, one thing is clear; everyone arrested are confirmed members of MS-13, and the incident is a reminder of this gang's violent ways," Suffolk County Police Commissioner Geraldine Hart said.

Police were present at Huntington High School as a precaution on Thursday. There were no incidents at the school, police say.

Hart also confirmed the SRO officer at Huntington High School was reassigned after the school district agreed to reassess their relationship with the Suffolk County Police Department's school resource officer (SRO) program following a controversial ProPublica article.

Lopez was detained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Oct. 24, 2017, and was ordered released from custody by a federal district court judge on June 12, 2018.

Molina was detained by ICE on July 24, 2017, and was released from custody by a federal judge on Nov. 28, 2017, Suffolk Police said.

The DA's office said Lopez and Molina "were previously confirmed as MS-13 gang members by the Suffolk County Police Department" before they were detained by ICE. But Robert Sweet, the judge who freed Lopez, who has not criminal record in the United States or El Salvador, wasn't convinced, according to report by The Intercept.

Lopez told federal officials when he arrived alone as a 17-year-old at the U.S.-Mexico border on Dec. 8, 2016 that he was fleeing gang threats in El Salvador and wanted to travel to New York to live with his mother.

Bail for Zuniga, Lopez and Molina was each set at $35,000 cash or $75,000 bond. Their charges carry a maximum sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison if convicted.

Mugshots via SCPD: (l-r) Ramon Arevalo Lopez, Nobeli Montes Zuniga, Oscar Canales Molina

Image2 via SCDA screenshot