BATON ROUGE — The U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that they arrested nearly 200 fugitives in the Baton Rouge area for various crimes as part of the Operation North Star initiative. 

Operation North Star covered 74 days between May 10 and Sept. 13 and targeted fugitives and violent offenders in 10 metropolitan areas, including Dallas, Little Rock, Birmingham and St. Louis. Marshals prioritized those who used firearms in the commission of crimes or signaled high-risk factors for violence, the Service said.

Investigators arrested 197 fugitives in the Baton Rouge area, including 34 for homicide, 25 for forcible sexual assault, nine for robbery, 58 for aggravated assault and 14 for firearms violations. Marshals said they also seized 30 firearms and more than 5.99 kilograms of illegal narcotics.

"The Baton Rouge Police Department has approximately 15 police officers assigned to work alongside our federal law enforcement partners," Baton Rouge Police Chief T.J. Morse said.

Among the arrests was Kendrick Miller, who was arrested July 25 on home invasion, simple battery, false imprisonment, an offender armed with a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault charges. Miller was wanted by the Baton Rouge Police Department, among other local agencies.

“We first launched Operation North Star in 2022 to identify and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and violent offenders,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said. “From May to September of this year, the U.S. Marshals Service worked with state and local law enforcement partners in 10 metropolitan areas to arrest more than 3,400 fugitives and violent offenders and seize large quantities of firearms and fentanyl. I am deeply grateful to every Deputy U.S. Marshal, Task Force Officer, investigator, and police officer who carried out these arrests and who did so at great risk to themselves.”