Transnational gang member murder suspect arrested in Arlington by federal officials
A suspected member of the transnational criminal organization called the 18th Street Gang was arrested in Arlington on Thursday on a capital murder charge.
Jonathan Alexander Gonzalez-Rosales, 25, is also suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, having traveled here from his home country of El Salvador, according to news release from officials with the office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
ICE and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers arrested Gonzalez-Rosales on Thursday night, the release said. The Texas Office of the Attorney General assisted members of the ERO Dallas Fugitive Operations Team with the arrest.
Gonzalez-Rosales was wanted for the murder of Franklin Alexander Mercado, 17, according to court records. Mercado’s body was discovered Jan. 22, in the 300 block of North Prairie Creek Road in Dallas with multiple stab wounds. A Dallas County magistrate judge issued a capital murder arrest warrant for Gonzalez-Rosales on April 1.
Authorities previously encountered Gonzalez-Rosales on Dec. 10, 2017, at a magistrate court in San Antonio, and subsequently issued an immigration detainer. The following day, Gonzalez-Rosales was ordered to appear in court on Feb. 7, 2018, and an immigration judge granted him bond, the release said. Gonzalez-Rosales was released from ICE custody on Feb. 22, 2018, after posting bond.
Gonzalez-Rosales failed to appear for his July 16, 2018, immigration court hearing, and an immigration judge in San Antonio ordered that he be sent back to El Salvador. Gonzalez-Rosales remained an immigration fugitive until his most recent arrest on Thursday by law enforcement officers.
Gonzalez-Rosales was taken to the Bedford City Jail and processed on Friday. He will remain in ICE custody until he is transferred to the Dallas County Jail to face the pending capital murder charge, the release said.
