U.S. Marshals, WSPD apprehend high-ranking gang member
A high-ranking member of the MS-13 gang was arrested earlier this week and is awaiting extradition to New York, where he has been indicted on charges of first-degree gang assault and second-degree kidnapping.
Authorities arrested Josue Zepeda-Padilla around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, March 5, in the 3000 block of Gilmer Avenue. The U.S. Marshals Service, Winston-Salem Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations worked together on the apprehension.
According to the U.S. Marshals Service, Zepeda-Padilla is an undocumented immigrant who had eluded law enforcement for more than a year. He is one of seven MS-13 members wanted in Suffolk County, New York, in connection with a violent gang assault and the kidnapping of a 15-year-old. The defendants allegedly robbed, kidnapped and assaulted the victim before leaving the person unconscious in an abandoned building.
U.S. marshals had been tracking Zepeda-Padilla since January before locating him in Winston-Salem. Law enforcement officials said that when they initially attempted to apprehend him Wednesday morning, he refused to comply with their commands.
He tried to escape through the attic of a home but fell through the ceiling into a neighboring residence.
Catrina Thompson, U.S. marshal for the Middle District of North Carolina and former Winston-Salem police chief, said Zepeda-Padilla had been traveling between cities across the state before his arrest.
“The United States Marshals Service is committed to locating and apprehending violent fugitives across our nation,” Thompson said. “In this case, the USMS Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, with our law enforcement partners from the Winston-Salem Police Department, North Carolina, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, apprehended Josue Zepeda-Padilla.”
In a press release, Vincent F. DeMarco, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of New York, called the arrest a critical victory in the effort to bring violent fugitives to justice.
“The United States Marshals Service is committed to relentlessly pursuing violent criminals who pose a threat to our communities, especially those who enter the United States illegally, and ensuring they face the consequences for their actions,” DeMarco said.
Zepeda-Padilla appeared virtually in a Forsyth County courtroom Thursday. He will be held at the Forsyth County Detention Center for up to 60 days awaiting another court appearance or until Suffolk County authorities extradite him.
