The eight suspects arrested on suspicion of their involvement in a gang attack on a New York teen last month are reportedly being held behind bars in protective custody.
According to the New York Post, the suspected gang members have received death threats since being booked into general population at Rikers Island.
As a result, they have reportedly been transferred for their safety to an undisclosed location from the holding cells where they had been housed since their arrest.
The men face various criminal charges related to the brutal stabbing attack caught on surveillance camera last month.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, police believe 15-year-old Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz was killed in an apparent case of mistaken identity when the attackers believed he was the individual depicted in a sex tape with a teen girl.
Read more:
Violent murder caught on video: Teen fatally stabbed in brutal machete attack
Six of the suspects were arrested at the same time when police officers raided a cheap New Jersey hotel. The other two were arrested by officers in the Bronx.
All eight men have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
[Featured image: Manuel Rivera, Danel Fernandez, Joniki Martinez, Santiago Rodriguez, Jose Taverez, Jose Muniz/Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office]
