DOWNTOWN — A complaint was unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn charging Elijah Roy with crimes related to an Aug. 17, 2025, shooting at Taste of the City Lounge in Crown Heights, where three individuals were murdered and an additional 10 were shot and injured.
Specifically, Roy is charged with assault in aid of racketeering and with being a felon in possession of ammunition. The defendant is an associate of the 5-9 Brims, a subset of the Bloods street gang, operating in and around Brooklyn.
Roy, also known as “Eli Spice” and “Swervo,” was arrested on Sept. 18, 2025, in North Carolina. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the complaint before United States Magistrate Judge Peggy Kuo.
United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr., FBI New York Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced the charges and arrests.
“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,” Nocella said. “It is my hope that this arrest will give some comfort to the victims’ loved ones and the traumatized survivors of this heinous crime.”
Mr. Nocella thanked the FBI and NYPD Metro Safe Streets Task Force, the Brooklyn South Homicide Squad, the 71st Precinct Detective Squad, the Brooklyn South Video Collection Team and the first responders to the mass casualty shooting incident.
The case is being prosecuted as part of the FBI-led Operation Summer Heat.
“Elijah Roy, a Bloods associate, allegedly participated in a mass shooting in a crowded local restaurant, killing three and significantly injuring another ten in about six seconds,” Raia said, adding that the shooting was the result of a turf war.
As set forth in the criminal complaint, in the early morning hours of Aug. 17, 2025, the defendant was present at Taste of the City Lounge, a restaurant and hookah bar in Brooklyn, New York.
Roy was with other associates of the 5-9 Brims, including Marvin St. Louis, who died as a result of the shooting.
Members of a rival of the Brims that operates in and around Brooklyn, Folk Nation Gangster Disciples (GD) members, including Jamel Childs, another victim of the shooting, were also present.
At approximately 3 a.m., the Brims began shooting at associates of GD, who returned fire. Roy then proceeded to shoot back towards where Childs and the group of GDs were standing.
Within approximately six seconds, over 40 shots were discharged by the defendant and others into the crowded bar.
As a result of the shooting, three people died, and ten were shot and injured.
The charges in the complaint are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Dana Rehnquist and Daniel J. Marcus are in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Paralegal Specialists Samantha Ward, Paul Padilla and Elizabeth Reed.
