Alleged MS-13 gang member extradited
Known as ‘Terror,’ he is suspected in a pair of killings in the area
A suspected member of the brutal MS-13 gang wanted in connection with two area killings has been extradited back to Texas after he was apprehended last Saturday more than 1,400 miles from Houston, according to Police Chief Art Acevedo.
Douglas Alexander HerreraHernandez, 20, also known as “Terror,” was apprehended near Alexandria, Va., and is charged with two counts of capital murder in connection to crimes in Harris and Fort Bend counties.
Herrera-Hernandez is accused of killing Estuar Quinones, 16, after discovering that he provided information as a witness to detectives on a number of homicides committed by MS-13. The teenager was lured to Buffalo Run Park in Missouri City in June 2016 and shot 27 times.
Herrera-Hernandez, who is an El Salvadoran citizen living illegally in the United States, also is suspected of killing Kevin Alvarez, 26, another documented MS-13 gang member. Alvarez was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on July 9 outside a southeast Houston apartment complex.
‘Worst of the worst’
During the news conference Friday, Acevedo praised a Clear Lake patrol officer who canvassed a local apartment complex and was able to identify witnesses that led HPD to location of Herrera-Hernandez.
The arrest of Herrera-Hernandez follows a push in recent months by law enforcement leaders to crack-down on the MS-13 gang.
Described by Acevedo as the “worst of the worst,” MS-13, or “La Mara Salvatrucha,” was formed in California in the 1980s but is largely based in El Salvador and is known for committing especially heinous crimes, including beheadings, brutal machete killings and satanic sacrifices.
In April, Gov. Greg Abbott infused a Harris County tactical operations center with $500,000 to fight gang violence, and last week, President Donald Trump vowed to destroy the gang, singling them out as “animals.”
Acevedo said there are about 350 documented members of the gang in Houston, adding that the actual number is likely much larger.
District Attorney Kim Ogg called the coordination between the different levels of law enforcement — including HPD, the FBI, the Department of Public Safety, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement — a longawaited “fulfillment of a dream” to fight gang violence.
It is the only street gang that federal authorities have labeled a transnational criminal organization, though according to Acevedo, that will not deter law enforcement from pursuing gang members.
“The long arm of justice is reaching out across the city, across the region, across the state, across the nation, and across borders,” Acevedo said. “So watch out because we are coming.”
ICE worked with HPD
During the course of the news conference, Acevedo also veered into other topics, including conversations around the controversial SB4 sanctuary cities ban set to go into effect on September 1. He said the notion that law enforcement was not working with ICE was “hogwash,” adding that the immigration agency worked with HPD in the investigation.
Acevedo also criticized hateful rhetoric targeting religions or nations of origin, saying that it erodes trust and pushes people toward joining violent organizations, like MS-13.
“When you marginalize young people, when you make them feel like they’re not fully welcome and a part of our society, you start creating environments that helps create a perfect environment for people to be seduced by these criminal gangs,” Acevedo said, adding that he is not making excuses for the gang’s actions.
Acevedo suggested in his statements that he hopes that Herrera-Hernandez, if convicted, receives the death penalty.
“When you take a life that brutally, especially one of a witness who had the courage to come forward, you really forfeited your right, once you’re tried and convicted, to remain on this planet earth as far as I’m concerned,” Acevedo said.