A suspected member of the MS-13 gang with a violent criminal history was arrested a year later in Nashville, Tennessee, police said.
According to the Metronashville Police Department (MNPD), 24-year-old Leonel Vargas Jr. was arrested Wednesday afternoon.
Davidson County Jail records show he was charged with strangulation, felony robbery, felony probation violation, misdemeanor domestic assault and aggravated felony assault on two counts of property.
Leonel Vargas Jr. mug shot (Metronashville Police Station)
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He is not eligible for bonds.
MNPD said its Professional Investigation Department (SID) detectives and federal alcoholic cigarettes, firearms and explosives (ATF) agents are investigating their relationship with Vargas’ ultra-violent Salvador MS-13 gang.
ATF confirmed with Fox News Digital that an investigation into Vargas’ MS-13 bonding is underway.
Lison of MS-13 Gang Tattoos on March 26, 2025 (Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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Vargas has a long criminal history dating back to 2019.
That year he was charged with one of the worsening assaults by strangulation, one of the domestic assaults that resulted in physical injuries and feared physical injuries. He was sentenced to probation for those crimes.
In 2022, he was sentenced to one year in prison for violating probation and a year of supervised release. The same year, the 2021 lawsuit reopened for a felony in which he avoided a motor vehicle arrest and was in reckless danger.
MS-13 gang member gesture at the Kezaltepec Police Station in San Salvador, El Salvador, on May 20, 2013. (Giles Clark/Getty Images)
He was convicted of these charges in 2023 and was sentenced to two years of supervised release.
Last year he was charged with felony domestic aggravated assault, robbery and theft, and fled police until he arrested him Wednesday.
Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel announced a $5 million bounty on information that led to the arrest of Honduras MS-13 leader Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías.
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In the US, the gang recently made the news after one suspect, Illegal immigrant Kilmer Abrego Garciawas deported to El Salvador.
He was suspected of being involved in labor/trafficking, according to a 2022 Homeland Security Survey (HSI). Fox News.
