Three people were arrested on gang assault charges in Ellicottville on Saturday, following a police investigation into an incident in the small Cattaraugus County town. Ariel J. Aswash, 22, of Cheektowaga, Arianna M. Robinson, 20, of Buffalo, and Eddaejia C. Keene, 26, of Buffalo, were each charged with second-degree gang assault.
Arraignment and Release
All three defendants were arraigned in Ellicottville Town Court, the outlet reported. Aswash, Robinson and Keene were released on their own recognizance following the arraignment and are scheduled to appear back in Ellicottville Town Court to answer the charges.
No information has been released identifying the defendants' attorneys or providing further comment from the three individuals charged. The report also did not include booking photographs, a statement from police, or charging documents detailing the statutory specifics of the gang assault charge each defendant now faces.
Pattern of Gang Assault Cases Across New York
The Ellicottville arrests come amid a string of gang-assault cases reported around New York State in 2026, though there is no indication the incidents are connected. In September, New York State Police arrested four people from Ellenville following an assault investigation in Ulster County, according to News10NBC.
That same month, four men were arrested on felony gang assault charges after a reported stabbing in Cortlandville and were taken to jail without bail, per a report from WBNG. In July, three people in Saratoga County were each charged with first-degree robbery, second-degree gang assault and second-degree assault, according to The Post-Star. None of these cases has been established as linked to the arrests in Ellicottville.
Ellicottville, a small ski-town community in Cattaraugus County, has seen other police action make headlines this year as well. Police there separately arrested three people for allegedly breaking into Holiday Valley's Tamarack Club, according to a report from WGRZ, though that case is distinct from the gang assault arrests involving Aswash, Robinson and Keene.
As of now, the specific date of their next court appearance has not been made public, and it remains unclear what further details may emerge once the case proceeds through Ellicottville Town Court.
