MS-13 Blamed in 3 Pr. George's Slayings

On Aug. 5, six Montgomery youths were stabbed in gang-related attacks: two at Springbrook High School and four at a Target store in Wheaton. The slayings in the Adelphi area occurred about one block from a cemetery where, in October 2004, a shooting linked to MS-13 left one teenage girl dead and another wounded.

Luis Hurtado, a Montgomery police officer, said he received information from a source in the community late last week indicating that MS-13 was planning "something big" for the extended holiday weekend. Hurtado said that he passed that information along to the department's gang task force and other officials but that the tip was not detailed enough for police to preempt an attack by the gang.

"I told everyone I could," he said. "But we didn't have anything specific."

Before Friday, neither Adelphi nor Langley Park had been the scene of a homicides this year, despite being hubs of gang activity. Homicides in the area have fallen sharply, from 53 for all of last year to 14 so far this year.

"We've enjoyed a good 2006 in Langley Park and Adelphi," said Maj. Kevin Davis, the District 1 commander. "We don't want this incident to spark more violence. We really need to solve this ASAP."

Davis attributed the drop in homicides to focused police work and community involvement. He said he has deployed an additional six to 10 officers to patrol Langley Park from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, and he credited the work of the anti-gang task force. "The community is used to seeing those guys around," Davis said.

At the garden-style apartment complex where the crime occurred, neighbors said they often saw men sitting on the steps outside, drinking beer and laughing. Many acknowledged rampant gang activity in the area but would not speak publicly about it for fear of reprisal.

"There's always been a bit of violence" in the area, said Sujey Flores, 21, who was selling mangoes with her 11- and 13-year-old siblings in a shaded area around the corner. But she said she was not aware of any previous killings.

Prince George's police Lt. John S. Decker, who has patrolled the area for more than three decades, said officers are keeping a close watch on the neighborhood because of the homicides. Officers have made inroads in the Adelphi area in recent years, he said, reaching out to its population, which is made up of mostly recent Hispanic and African immigrants.

"People hang out here at all hours of the night," he said. "Unfortunately, alcohol consumption is rampant."

Decker said recent high-profile prosecutions of Central American gang members have made the gangs adopt a lower profile.

"These guys know they're under the microscope," said Decker, who is not directly involved in the latest homicide investigations. "They don't wear their affiliation colors like they use to. Some are trying to reestablish themselves elsewhere."

In August, federal authorities rounded up 19 suspects -- and three more in April -- in a racketeering indictment that accused gang members of six murders and four attempted murders, all but one in Prince George's.

Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said the indictment was just one step in addressing the problem. "When you're dealing with an organization that has national and international ties, you can't expect to defeat it overnight," he said.

Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) said: "I think the indictment slowed it down for a couple of months, but I don't want to make it sound like it put MS-13 out of business, because I don't believe that's the case."

Victor Israel Rios, who lives in the building next to where the three killings happened, said his mother-in-law was robbed at gunpoint a week earlier. He said he and his wife tend to stay indoors after dark because of the young men who loiter and often drink in public late into the night. The couple heard the gunshots Friday night -- seven, maybe eight, he said. The sirens followed.

Lilian Gazi, 17, another neighbor, said the rowdy men who are often seen near the building where the slayings occurred make her feel uncomfortable. They sometimes hiss when she walks by.

"It's not safe here," she said.

Staff writers Philip Rucker and Allison Klein contributed to this report.