By Katabella Roberts
Contributing Writer
Two illegal immigrants have been arrested on suspicion of raping a 46-year-old woman at knifepoint under the Coney Island boardwalk in New York City on Sunday, police have confirmed.
The alleged attack took place at around 9 p.m. near the intersection of Surf Avenue and West 16th Street, a New York City Police Department spokesperson confirmed in an emailed statement.
The men, identified as David Davon-Bonilla, 24, and Leovando Moreno, 37, are accused of pushing the woman to the ground and holding a knife to her throat during the incident.
Davon-Bonilla allegedly raped the woman, while Moreno used an unidentified object to beat up a 34-year-old man who was nearby and attempted to intervene, police said.
Both of the suspects were taken into custody after the incident.
Davon-Bonilla was charged with first-degree rape, assault, sexual abuse, menacing, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
According to multiple reports, he had pleaded guilty to sexual assault in a separate attack on a woman in Brooklyn last year but was later released from prison.
Meanwhile, Moreno was charged with assault in the third degree for striking the woman’s boyfriend in the recent attack.
He was also charged with menacing in the second degree, harassment in the second degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree.
Police said the woman was transported to hospital in a stable condition. The 34-year-old male who was also attacked refused medical attention on the scene, they said.
Both the woman and her suspected attackers are homeless, according to police.
It is not clear if Davon-Bonilla and Moreno have legal representation yet.
According to multiple reports, Davon-Bonilla is from Nicaragua and Moreno is from Mexico.
NYC Sanctuary Status Policies Condemned
Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the attack in a press conference on Tuesday, calling it a “despicable act.”
He also noted the city’s strict sanctuary status policies, which prohibit local authorities from cooperating with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when an illegal immigrant has been accused of most crimes.
“As you know, laws do not allow us to coordinate with ICE, that’s the law,” he said. “And, you know I’m not happy about that.”
Adams also called Davon-Bonilla “the poster child of what’s wrong with not doing that coordination” with ICE.
“It’s clear that he does not deserve to be in our city … Those small number of migrants that are in our city, they should be held accountable when they break the law,” the mayor said.
Adams said he believes Davon-Bonilla entered the United States illegally and “then he was allowed to just to stay.”
The NYPD’s chief of patrol, John Chell, also criticized the city’s strict sanctuary status laws following the attack.
Chell said “people from across the globe” come to New York City in “pursuit of a better life” and the “American Dream,” in a Tuesday post on X.
“However, a small portion have other intentions, including committing crimes and preying on the people of New York City,” he said. “Daniel Davon-Bonilla is one such predator.”
Chell said Davon-Bonilla was arrested in April 2023 for sexually assaulting a woman in Brooklyn.
“The criminal justice system did its job — he was convicted, sentenced and released in June 2024,” he said. “But after being released, he returned to the streets and violently assaulted another woman in Coney Island this past Sunday.”
“When will our sanctuary city laws be amended to allow us to notify federal authorities regarding the deportation of noncitizens convicted of violent crimes?” Chell continued. “Failing to act enables individuals like Daniel Davon-Bonilla to continue victimizing women in our city.”
More than 200,000 illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have arrived in New York City since April 2022, according to Adams’ office.
