DoJ says thousands of America's most violent fugitives have been arrested

According to the press release from the Justice Department's Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Marshals arrested 3,421 violent fugitives for various crimes in the final phase of a targeted mission.

From May to mid-September, authorities worked for 74 days on Operation North Star, an arrest initiative focused on finding fugitives and violent criminals in ten cities. The operation particularly focused on refugees who were believed to have used firearms to commit crimes or were at high risk of violence. 216 people were arrested for murder, 803 people for assault and 482 people for weapons offenses.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the statement: “We first launched Operation North Star in 2022 to identify and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and violent criminals.”

He continued, “I am deeply grateful to every U.S. deputy marshal, task force officer, investigator and law enforcement officer who made these arrests and did so at great risk to themselves.”

Items seized included 534 firearms, more than $508,000, and 456 kilograms of illegal narcotics, including 138 pounds and over 550,000 tablets of fentanyl, according to the statement.

Operation North Star made arrests in cities in several states, including Texas, South Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois, Alabama, North Carolina and Ohio.

The arrests the Justice Department deemed “significant” included Aaron Michael Jones, who was charged with trespassing, domestic violence and child endangerment in Louisiana; Garron Stevenson, accused of opening fire at a public event, killing a 14-year-old in Missouri; and Michael Muldovan in Virginia, who is charged with statutory rape.

Four other people, Hayden Bates-Vellmure, Jordan Elijah Jackson, Allan Gilbert and Patrick Biscoe, were also arrested by the North Texas Fugitive Task Force on charges related to a drive-by shooting that injured several children. Authorities said they found nine handguns and a shotgun during the arrest.

Ronald L. Davis, director of the United States Marshal Service, was quoted in the press release: “The success of this operation is the result of the outstanding collective efforts of our deputies and task force officers, as well as strong collaboration with the community and our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners.”

According to the Justice Department, Operation North Star has expanded to 30 locations since 2022 and has resulted in the arrest of more than 10,200 wanted fugitives and the seizure of more than 1,425 weapons linked to violent crimes.

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