4,400 violent fugitives arrested during three-month US Marshals Service initiative

Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
·1 min read
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WASHINGTON − More than 4,400 violent fugitives were arrested during a three-month enforcement initiative in 20 cities, the U.S. Marshals Service announced Wednesday.

The initiative, dubbed Operation North Star III, led to more than 2,800 warrants for violent crimes such as homicide, sexual assault and robbery, according to the service. The operation also seized 555 firearms, 85 kilograms of illegal narcotics and more than $1 million in cash, the service said.

“Together with our law enforcement partners across the country, the Justice Department is zeroing in on the violent fugitives responsible for the greatest crime in our communities,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

U.S. Marshals Service K-9 officer patrols the area outside the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Federal Courthouse, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023, in Washington. Former President Donald Trump is due in court on Thursday, the first step in a legal process that will play out in a courthouse between the White House he once controlled and the Capitol his supporters once stormed. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) ORG XMIT: DCJC401

Operation North Star (ONS) has been conducted in three phases since July 2022. A combined more than 6,700 fugitives have been apprehended during those periods, including 900 charged with homicide, the service said.

Ronald Davis, director of the U.S. Marshals Service, said the initiative is part of the Justice Department's strategy to reduce violent crime based on collaboration with local and state law enforcement partners.

"Together with the community, these efforts have contributed to successful violence reduction efforts in ONS cities," Davis said in a statement.

The latest operation was targeted for Albuquerque, New Mexico; Baltimore; Buffalo, New York; Chicago; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Detroit; Houston; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Kansas City, Missouri; Los Angeles; Memphis, Tennessee; Milwaukee; New Orleans; New York; Oakland, California; Philadelphia; Puerto Rico; and Washington, D.C.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: More than 4,400 violent fugitives arrested in Marshals Service sweep