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A reputed Bloods gangbanger was charged Wednesday in a caught-on-video shootout at a Brooklyn hookah lounge that left three dead and 10 others wounded, federal prosecutors said.
Elijah “Eli Spice” Roy, 25, an “associate” of the 5-9 Brims Bloods crew, was allegedly part of the crew involved in the deadly shootout with rival gang members at the crowded Taste of the City Lounge on Aug. 17, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York said.
“Such a flagrant disregard for human life will not go unpunished and this prosecution underscores the resolve of our office and law enforcement to eradicate gangs in the district,” US Attorney for the district, Joseph Nocella, said in a statement. “It is my hope that this arrest will give some comfort to the victims’ loved ones and the traumatized survivors of this heinous crime.”
Nocella said the gang gunmen turned the crowded club into “a kill zone” — with more than 40 shots fired in the span of just six seconds.
The chilling footage shows three of the 5-9 Brims walking into the packed lounge, then open fire on a group of rivals across the room — who return fire as patrons scramble for cover.
One of the 5-9 Brims members, identified by the feds as Marvin St. Louis, was among those killed.
According to federal prosecutors, Roy and his fellow gangbangers walked into the lounge around 3 a.m. and spotted members of the rival Folk Nation Gangster Disciples, including Jamel Childs, who was also killed when the shooting started.
Roy fled the Big Apple for North Carolina after the shootout and was picked up there by federal agents on Sept. 18.
He was named in an unsealed indictment with assault in aid of racketeering and with being a felon in possession of ammunition, prosecutors said.
“The charges brought against Elijah Roy marks another step forward in our mission to dismantle the violent street gangs that terrorize our communities with illegal firearms,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement. “Alleged associates of the 5-9 Brims Gang turned a crowded club into a scene of carnage when they opened fire on their rivals.”
