Alleged MS-13 member among 3 accused of holding man against his will at Long Island motel
48-year-old man lured to the Edgewood Motel, where he was held against his will
WESTBURY, Long Island (WABC) -- Police have arrested three people, at least one said to be a member of the MS-13 gang, in the kidnapping and robbery of a 48-year-old man who they say was lured to a motel and held against his will.
According to investigators, officers were conducting an investigation at the Edgewood Motel in Westbury around 6:45 p.m. Saturday when they saw a red Ford F150 with four occupants exiting the parking lot and traveling westbound on Jericho Turnpike.
They say the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop near the intersection of Cambridge Avenue and Warren Street, and officers conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of Cambridge and Oxford streets.
During the investigation, officers observed that one of the occupants, a man much older than the others in the vehicle, appeared to be in distress.
All four occupants were removed from the pickup truck, at which point police say one of the backseat passengers, 19-year-old Tylor Salmeron, attempted to flee on foot.
They said he threw a large machete to the ground as he ran, and he was later taken into custody despite "violently resisting."
The driver, identified as 23-year-old Yonathan Hernandez, and a 16-year-old girl in front seat were both placed under arrest without further incident.
Authorities say the subsequent investigation revealed that the older man was lured to the Edgewood Motel, where he was held against his will and forced to relinquish his keys, phone and money while being threatened at knifepoint.
"Our victim got lured there by a 16-year-old with the agreement to have sex with the young lady," Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said.
They believe Salmeron is the girl's boyfriend and that he and Hernandez entered the room after the girl brought the victim inside.
"They threatened to kill him. they took his keys, they took his money," Ryder said. "They wanted to him to (go to) an ATM cash machine to take out additional cash."
Hernandez and Salmeron were each charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree kidnapping, second-degree menacing, fourth-degree conspiracy, and weapons offenses.
Additionally, Salmeron was charged with resisting arrest.
The 16-year-old female juvenile defendant is charged with robbery, kidnapping, conspiracy and criminal possession of a weapon, and further investigation also revealed an active arrest warrant.
She is said to be known to police, though it's not clear how she and the 48-year-old man initially made contact to meet at the hotel.
Ryder said at least one of the men arrested is an alleged member of MS-13.
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