//The Wire//2200Z September 9, 2024//

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//BLUF: MANHUNT UNDERWAY IN KENTUCKY FOLLOWING INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AMBUSH. TDA MEMBERS PREVIOUSLY ARRESTED IN COLORADO FREED ON BAIL.//

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-HomeFront-

Kentucky: A manhunt is underway following a shooting that took place on I-75 in Laurel County. Saturday evening a man lying in ambush conducted a small arms attack on random vehicles passing by on the interstate in the vicinity of Exit 49. 5x people were wounded in the attack, and most local schools have canceled classes as the manhunt continues. Authorities have identified the suspect as Joseph Couch, and recovered a weapon and vehicle shortly after the shootings were reported. AC: Text messages sent to a female contact by the shooter before the incident indicate that, while the shooter did plan the attack to some degree, this may have been a mental health/domestic incident rather than a more calculated terror attack. Nevertheless, local authorities have stated the suspect is armed and dangerous, and hiding out in the vicinity of the ambush site in extremely rugged terrain.

Colorado: Two of the four mid-level TdA “shot callers” that were arrested last week, have been freed on bail. Both of the Perez brothers posted $1,000 bail and are no longer in custody, despite still being in the Untied States illegally, and both originally being arrested for attempted murder.

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Analyst Comments: As the catch-and-release of extremely High Value Individuals (HVIs) affiliated with organized crime becomes more common, it’s likely that local TdA (and other gangs) will become emboldened, as has happened for years in most major American cities. This also signals to the American taxpayer that the justice system is not only not serious about the TdA issues in Colorado, but also not interested in even pretending to care. Arresting a few shot callers and declaring victory over crime would have been expected even just a few years ago, but the local judicial system (along with federal law enforcement) letting these men go free on such low bail (while facing capital charges, and both obviously being extreme flight risks) is very telling.

Analyst: S2A1

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