A Corona man was arrested Tuesday, Nov. 29, and charged with murder and other crimes in the fatal beating of a Guatemalan immigrant during the early morning hours of Sunday, Nov. 13.
Homicide detectives from the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst took 20-year-old Michael Santander, of 39th Avenue, into custody for the killing of Esvin Vasquez, a 23-year-old man who was living on 43rd Avenue near 96th Street, around the corner from the spot where he was beaten to death by a gang of men.
Police responded to a 911 call of an assault in progress just after 2 a.m. on Nov. 13 when they found Vasquez lying on the ground in front of a BP gas station at 43-15 Junction Blvd. with a severe head injury. EMS responded to the crime scene and rushed Vasquez to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD.
A preliminary investigation determined that Vasquez was involved in a dispute with a large group of men when one of the Santander allegedly grabbed a wooden board and struck the victim in the head, police said. The group fled the location heading southbound on Junction Boulevard.
Santander was booked at the 110th Precinct Tuesday and charged with murder, manslaughter, gang assault and criminal possession of a weapon.
There are no other arrests and the investigation is ongoing.
