EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — U.S. Marshals said Friday afternoon that they've arrested more than 3,400 fugitives across the country, 602 of which were allegedly in the Southern Illinois area.
Investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service's "Operation North Star" reportedly arrested 34 homicide fugitives, 34 forcible sexual assault fugitives, 29 robbery fugitives, 119 aggravated assault fugitives, and 177 firearm violation fugitives, the Service said in an emailed press release. The Service did not share details on the other 209 arrests.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story indicated all 602 fugitives were arrested in the East St. Louis area. Marshals have since clarified that those arrests took place throughout Southern Illinois.
"Local investigators seized 172 firearms, more than $258,000.00 in U.S. currency, 7 vehicles, and 53 kilograms of illegal narcotics," the Service's statement said. "One significant arrest from the East St. Louis area was Vito Crowder who was arrested on August 29th, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri, by USMS personnel from the Southern District of Illinois. He was wanted for aggravated battery with a firearm. He was also wanted for two counts of first-degree murder after a shooting in Alton, Illinois, that resulted in the death of an innocent 13-year-old girl."
Operation North Star is the Service's "high-impact" fugitive apprehension initiative, which took place in 10 metropolitan areas including:
- East St. Louis, Illinois
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Dallas, Texas
- North Charleston, South Carolina
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Birmingham, Alabama
- Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Dayton, Ohio
- San Antonio, Texas
“Over the past year, the Marshals Service conducted Operation North Star in ten cities across the country experiencing high levels of gun violence,” said United States Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis. “Over 3,000 dangerous fugitives, including over 200 homicide suspects, were apprehended and removed from neighborhoods."
