Two New York Police Department officers were attacked by a group of about a dozen people suspected of being Tren de Aragua gang members during an outdoor boxing event in Times Square.
Surveillance footage appeared to show the suspects turning on the officers as they attempted to break up an apparent assault. According to police, members of the group hurled bottles and physically attacked the officers who responded.
Law enforcement officials said several of the suspects are believed to be migrants and active members of Los Diablos 42, a criminal cell of the Tren de Aragua gang, which was designated a transnational criminal organization by the Trump administration.
As reported by NBC New York, most of the individuals involved are under 18, with one suspect as young as 12, preventing authorities from publicly identifying them.
Four suspects were arrested and taken into custody while police continue searching for roughly seven others. Those arrested face charges including rioting, attempted assault on a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon.
An NYPD spokesperson told the New York Post that the 12-year-old was taken into custody and later released pending a family court hearing.
Investigators said several of the suspects may also be connected to a series of robberies and assaults in Central Park last summer, and many have prior arrests for robbery and burglary.
In a statement, the NYPD said that attacks on officers "will not be tolerated," and praised detectives for making arrests within hours of the incident.
According to NBC New York, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were nearby when some of the suspects were being questioned. ICE officials said they had stopped at the Midtown South precinct to use the restroom while on an unrelated immigration stakeout.
NYPD corroborated this version of events in a statement, saying that "in accordance with the law, the NYPD does not participate in civil immigration enforcement."
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