Suspected MS-13 gang member wanted for murder is apprehended in Virginia



>>Keep clicking for a look at the most brutal MS-13 crimes of 2017 so far. less Law enforcement authorities have apprehended, Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, a Houston-based member of the brutal MS-13 gang. Herrera-Hernandez is charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Missouri City last year. Law enforcement authorities have apprehended, Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, a Houston-based member of the brutal MS-13 gang. Herrera-Hernandez is charged with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in Missouri ... more Image 1 of / 23 Caption Close Suspected MS-13 gang member wanted for murder is apprehended in Virginia 1 / 23 Back to Gallery

A suspected member of the brutal MS-13 gang wanted in connection with two area murders was apprehended early Saturday more than 1,400 miles from Houston, local law enforcement officials confirmed.

Douglas Alexander Herrera-Hernandez, 20, also known as "Terror," was taken into custody near Alexandria, Virginia, by law enforcement authorities executing a search warrant, Houston Police Department spokeswoman Jodi Silva said.

"I think we can all sleep better," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Lisa Collins said of the arrest.

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Herrera-Hernandez is a member of the brutal MS-13 gang out of El Salvador that Houston Police Chief has called "the worst of the worst."



Officials in both Harris and Fort Bend counties are looking to extradite Herrerra-Hernandez to face two murder charges.

Herrera-Hernandez is accused of killing a 16-year-old boy who is believed to have witnessed several MS-13-related murders, according to a news release from the Houston Police Department.

The teen, Estuar Quinones, was found dead in June 2016 at Buffalo Run Park in Missouri City.

Herrera-Hernandez is also accused of killing another documented MS-13 gang member, Kevin Alvarez, 26, on July 9 outside a southeast Houston apartment complex, according to sworn statements from Houston police officers. Alvarez was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds about 10 p.m. in the walkway between several units of an apartment complex at 265 El Dorado.

The apprehension of Herrerra-Hernandez represents a win for local law enforcement authorities who are focusing increased attention on gang violence.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo announced in June he planned to form a specialized unit to combat violent crime. He has called MS-13 "the worst of the worst."

MS-13, or "La Mara Salvatrucha," was formed in California in the 1980s. The gang spread throughout Central America and the U.S. and is infamous for the grisly murders.

In Houston, the gang is responsible racking for some of the area's most gruesome murders.

For example, MS-13 gang members were convicted for murdering a 14-year-old boy here in 2014 who wanted to go to church instead of associating with the gang.

They were also charged with killing a girl earlier this year in a Satanic sacrifice.

This week, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions flew to El Salvador to meet with law enforcement officials there to discuss ways to combat MS-13, which has become the face of President Donald Trump's war on illegal immigration.

Herrera-Hernandez is from El Salvador and has been in the U.S. without documentation, local police have said.

This week, he landed on the Texas Department of Public Safety's list of most wanted fugitives, along with Carlos Alberto Gonzalez-Barahona, 26, also believed to be an MS-13 gang member.

Gonzalez-Barahona is wanted on a murder charge in connection with the June 18 shooting death of his estranged girlfriend in northwest Houston, according to authorities. They said he is also wanted on an aggravated kidnapping charge after he kidnapped the driver of a pickup at gunpoint in Brazoria County.

Staff writer Cindy George contributed to this report.