Five gang members arrested in King County on conspiracy to commit murder

Facebook helped detectives knock down a violent gang that was getting a violent grip on south King County.

Report: Gang-related crime is on the rise in Everett

On Monday, King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht announced five teens were arrested in connection with a series of shootings from last year.

Authorities say the suspects are confirmed United Lokotes gang members, also known as ULs. They range in age from 17 to 19. They’ve each been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

“For the past year the ULs have been locked in a deadly and dangerous feud with rival gang Varrio Locos or VL,” said Sheriff Johanknecht.

Johanknecht said the violence began last year when a 19-year-old UL gang member, Artura Marcial Alvarez, was gunned down in April 2017 by VL gang members in Federal Way.

Johanknecht said the suspects sought revenge, which led to the deadly shooting of VL gang member Erasmo Plata eight hours later at a Burien convenience store. Hours after that, a woman believed to be the getaway car driver in Alvarez’s killing was grazed in the head as a hail of bullets flew at her as she sat in her van in South Park.

Facebook helped detectives crack the case. After getting a warrant to search the suspects’ social media accounts, authorities discovered the suspects communicated in a group chat labeled “for shooters only” and referred to their deadly revenge as “duck hunting.” Detectives found incriminating messages like “…we just got one of the VLs.” They also saw this apparent confession: “That was my boy that got lit up i handled it already.”

“We feel really confident that taking five of these suspects off the street is a significant impact on not only what they do on a daily basis but hopefully reassuring our community that we are actively pursuing gang activity,” said police Chief Jerrell Wills.

South King County has seen its fair share of gang shootings, including one from March where two teen girls, 19-year-old Eveona Cortez and 13-year-old Elizabeth Juarez, were killed at an apartment complex in Burien.

RELATED: Burien mayor talks sanctuary city status after fatal shooting

KIRO 7 asked Wills if the suspects or anyone else from UL may be suspected in the Burien murders.

“Really at this point we’re not ruling anything out,” Wills said. “Certainly that’s a possibility.”

Wills said the investigation isn’t over so more charges and arrests could be coming down the line.

The suspects will be arraigned on May 10.

Two of the suspects are juveniles and will be tried as adults.

By Siemny Kim, KIRO 7