Police arrested two members of the MS-13 gang late last week for murder and revealed two other members of the gang are on the run after luring a Maryland teenager into the woods and stabbing him more than 40 times in June.
The men on the run are thought to be extremely dangerous and were last seen in Wheaton, Montgomery County police said in a press conference Thursday. The police said Oscar Ernesto Delgado-Perez, 27, and Jose Coreas Ventura, 20, are wanted in connection to the MS-13 murder of Cristian Antonio Villagran-Morales, 18, in Malcolm King Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland on June 16, reports The Washington Post.
Police also announced Thursday the arrests of Juan Gutierrez-Vasquez, 16, and Vanesa Alvarado, 19, late last week in connection with the June slaying. Alvarado allegedly lured the victim into the woods with repeated text messages suggesting they should have sex. Once Alvarado had the victim alone, the other three suspects held him down and stabbed him more than 40 times. They both identified as members of MS-13, the notorious gang based in El Salvador.
“We’re reaching out to the public in this case because these two individuals are extremely dangerous, and they’re on the run,” a police spokesman said at the press conference. “They were last known to be in the Wheaton area. We believe they know we’re looking for them and we want to get them into custody as soon as possible, so they are no longer contributing to MS-13 mayhem.”
2 Suspects Arrested for Gaithersburg Park Homicide; 2 Additional Suspects Wanted: https://t.co/pYL9hHbahX pic.twitter.com/SZxBFp4zEO
— Montgomery Co Police (@mcpnews) July 7, 2016
Alvarado and Gutierrez-Vasquez claim Villagran-Morales was a member of a rival gang, however authorities say there is no evidence to suggest the victim had any gang-related connections. Villagran-Morales worked locally as a landscaper and reportedly lived with a cousin in the area, reports WJLA.
All four of the suspects involved, including the two fugitives, are charged with first-degree murder. The youngest individual involved in the killing, 16-year-old Gutierrez-Vasquez, described the murder to detectives when questioned. (RELATED: Violent MS-13 Gang Attacks Increase Across DC Metro Area)
“He stated he is a member of the MS-13 criminal street gang and this was a murder of an alleged rival gang member,” detectives wrote in an affidavit. “He stated the victim was lured into a wooded area and attacked by his co-conspirators. He stated he initially held the victim’s legs down, while others were stabbing the victim, and then he also stabbed the victim with a knife.”
Counties across the Washington, D.C., region are suffering from a large spike in criminal activity from the MS-13 gang, which is increasing violent attacks and recruitment.
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