Trinitarios gang members busted on gunpoint robbery spree
A group of gang members, including a 16-year-old boy, were arrested on Friday after committing a series of armed robberies that resulted in $100,000 worth of stolen jewelry. The suspects, who are said to be part of the Trinitarios gang, targeted seven victims over a two-week period, with one elderly man so traumatized by the experience that he decided to leave the Bronx for good.
In a disturbing video captured by prosecutors, the elderly man can be seen backing up to his stoop in Kingsbridge as a masked gunman points a weapon at his chest, forcing him to hand over his jewelry. This incident prompted the man to move out of the area within a short period of time.
The gang members, known as the BB7 subset of the Trinitarios crew, specifically targeted individuals wearing gold chains or expensive watches and rings. They would approach their victims at gunpoint, forcibly remove their jewelry, and then convene at one of two Bronx motels to inspect their loot.
Victims of the robberies included a business owner in Mott Haven and a man outside a nightclub in Fordham Heights. The suspects also blocked individuals inside their cars in order to carry out their crimes.
Fortunately, none of the robberies resulted in any shootings. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark emphasized the need to remove guns from the streets, as the suspects allegedly used firearms to instill fear in their victims.
The indicted suspects include Wilfren Carbuccia, 20, and Anthony Perez, 29, both from the Bronx, and Manuel Rivas, 20, from Newark, New Jersey. The 16-year-old suspect remains unnamed, while a fifth individual is still at large. Charges against the suspects include robbery, grand larceny, conspiracy, and in the case of Rivas, criminal possession of a firearm.
The 16-year-old suspect is also implicated in a separate robbery where he allegedly held a pistol with an extended magazine to a man’s chest and stole his watch and gold chain. Carbuccia and the teen were arraigned, with the teen held on a $100,000 bail and Carbuccia remanded. Perez and Rivas are awaiting arraignment.
