Ersi Zeron, an illegal immigrant from Honduras with suspected gang affiliation, was arrested for speeding and driving without a license.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents later determined Zeron was wanted in Honduras for his involvement in a 2016 shooting massacre at a billiard hall.
Zeron entered the U.S. at the Calexico West Port of Entry in September 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration.
The arrest was part of the agency’s 287(g) program, which authorizes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to delegate state and local law enforcement officers the authority to perform specified immigration officer functions under ICE’s direction and oversight.
ICE identified Zerón as a Honduran citizen in an irregular immigration situation and stated that he has a criminal record.
The agency also published a photograph of the Mexican national after his arrest. “A partner in the 287(g) program in Tennessee arrested Ersi Zerón, an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record originating from Honduras, for speeding and driving without a license,” ICE wrote in its post. ICE says he is wanted in Honduras.
In addition to reporting on the arrest, the U.S. agency said that Honduran authorities are looking for the Honduran for his alleged participation in a massacre that occurred in 2016 inside a pool hall. ICE claimed that the incident involved firearms and that Zerón would be related to the case. “It turns out that he is wanted in his home country for his involvement in a 2016 gun massacre at a pool hall,” ICE said.
One violent incident that left a mark on Tegucigalpa occurred in the Primero de Diciembre neighborhood.
In March 2016, a group of armed men stormed the Club Deportivo Billares Lino #2 and opened fire on the people inside the establishment. The attackers, wearing clothing resembling police uniforms and carrying bulletproof vests, entered the premises under the pretext of searching.
However, shortly thereafter, they began firing automatic weapons and fled in a vehicle. The attack left 12 people dead and three seriously injured. Authorities immediately launched an investigation to determine the motive behind the massacre and identify those responsible.
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