LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After a years-long search and a two-hour stand off, two Louisville fugitives were arrested in Long Beach, California on Tuesday.
Jerlen Horton, 29, and Chicoby Summers, 28, are documented gang members who have been eluding law enforcement since 2021, according to a news release from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The two-hour stand off on Tuesday took place at a luxury high-rise apartment complex on Ocean Avenue. LBPD made the arrests.
Back in November 2022, U.S. Marshals and ATF offered a combined reward of up to $20,000 each for information regarding their whereabouts.
Summers and Horton were both wanted on federal narcotics charges as well as a bond violation and supervised release violation charges following a November 2021 incident.
"Neither of them are strangers to law enforcement, they have been involved in criminal activity here in Louisville," Shawn Morrow, special agent in charge of ATF, said.
According to the Louisville ATF, both are allegedly associated with the Victory Park Crips, "a violent street gang operating in the west end of Louisville" and were subjects of a joint investigation between Louisville Metro Police and the ATF.
The U.S. marshal says this gang has been causing serious trouble for decades and now they are trying to catch the next generation of the Victory Park Crips.
"We've already seen the next generation starting to step up. We've contacted some of those people as part of this investigation," Deputy U.S. Marshal Joe Palmer said.
Investigators say the gang is behind much of the violence and drug related deaths in metro Louisville.
"I mean these guys are responsible for some of the violence, some of the overdose deaths. Some of the fentanyl, the heroin that we've seen on our streets that is absolutely ravishing communities across the country, especially here in Louisville," Palmer said.
Police say back in November of 2021, as investigators closed in on their location to arrest the men, they escaped custody by ramming police vehicles and engaging in a high-speed pursuit.
During that chase, Summers allegedly removed his ankle monitor. The men had eluded law enforcement for years, until they were arrested on Tuesday in California.
According to the warrant, Horton and another male - believed to be Summers - subleased the Long Beach apartment under different identities.
Both defendants are expected to be extradited to Kentucky.
“The arrest of these fugitives demonstrates ATF’s commitment to bringing offenders to justice,” Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of the Louisville Field Division said. “If you use a firearm to break the law, ATF and our partners will ensure you are apprehended and brought to answer charges. I am grateful for the hard work of Louisville Metro Police Department, the United States Marshals Service, and the outstanding support from the Long Beach, California Police Department. We appreciate each agencies’ commitment to keeping our communities safe.”
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