22 MS-13 gang members charged for string of murders in California
On Tuesday federal and local Los Angeles authorities announced a federal racketeering case that charges twenty-two people who are allegedly members of the MS-13 gang.
These members are also to have allegedly participated in a series of murders in California within two years, including slaying where victims were hacked to death with machetes in the Angeles National Forest. Gang members who allegedly authorized and coordinated murders are being charged. Also, gang members who allegedly murdered and attempted to murder rival gang members, those perceived to be helping law enforcement, and once a homeless man who was living in a park controlled by the gang.
One murder was detailed in the indictment where several gang members allegedly targeted a rival gang member who they believed defaced MS-13 graffiti. According to the indictment ” the victim was dismembered, and his body parts were thrown into a canyon after one of the defendants allegedly cut the heart out of the victim’s body. ”
“We have now taken off the streets nearly two dozen people associated with the most violent arm of MS-13 in Los Angeles, where the gang is believed to have killed 24 people over the past two years,” said United States Attorney Nick Hanna. ” This investigation has been an unqualified success. The collaborative law enforcement effort solved several murder cases and dealt a severe blow to members of the gang who engaged in acts of brutality not seen in the region for over 20 years.
In 2017 a federal grand jury issued a separate indictment that targeted MS -13′ s leadership throughout the Los Angeles region. The indictment charged 34 defendants, in which 14 pleaded guilty. Nineteen of the defendants are said to be currently scheduled for trial. One of the defendants, Sergio Alexander Galindo , remains a fugitive.
Galindo is 40-years-old, nicknamed ” Dragon ” or ” Killer ” and born in El Salvador. He is approximately 5’5″ and about 165-pounds. Authorities say he may have a scar on the right side of his neck, and tattoos on his abdomen, back, left hand, left shoulder, right hand, and right shoulder. Galindo is said to be a known member of the gang and specifically charged in the 2017 indictment. Authorities say Galindo has a criminal history and should be considered armed and dangerous.
