9 men held in robbery of 5 in Hicksville

Nassau County police arrested nine men in Hicksville and charged them with assaulting and robbing five males, whose names and ages were not released.

Police said yesterday that the Saturday morning incident does not appear to be gang-related.

Charged with one count of second-degree robbery each were Hector Valdez, 19, Fernando Benitez, 18, Darwin Galo, 18, Rafael Rodriguez, 20, Alexis Noboa, 18, Miguel Benitez, 16, and Sean Lee, 16, all of Hicksville; Harold Gonzalez, 19, of Hempstead, and Jonathan Baez, 17, of East Meadow. Valdez and Gonzalez were also charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and weapons possession.

Police said Valdez threatened victims with a handgun, which has not been found. They said they found knives at the site, which they said Gonzalez displayed during the assault.

Miguel Benitez, Baez and Lee were charged as adults. Three of the victims were taken to Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, where they were treated for minor injuries and released.

By ANDREW SCHARFF
Posted Monday, April 21, 2008

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