Herlyn Barrientos wasn’t too thrilled about bumping into a fellow gang member while shopping for veggies at his local grocery store. This dude was no ordinary shopper though. He was a big, tattooed guy with ink all over his head and face, representing the notorious MS-13 gang known for their brutal killings. Allegedly, this Honduran dude, aka “Doctorazo,” was the supplier of methamphetamine to MS-13 members in Los Angeles, who then sold the stuff and sent a cut to their leader behind bars. In 2023, he got caught up in some drug trafficking charges and decided to spill the beans to the FBI. A judge even gave him the green light to get out of jail, so he headed back to South Los Angeles at 47 years old.
Surveillance footage later revealed that MS-13 members had offed Barrientos for snitching to the FBI. Federal prosecutors wasted no time in announcing that three MS-13 members were charged with his murder, supposedly following orders from the gang honchos. The crazy part? Barrientos’ whole deal with the FBI was supposed to be hush-hush, but now it turns out everyone and their grandma knew he was a snitch. So why was he still chilling in his old hood when he got whacked on February 18th? The FBI isn’t saying much about it. Just before his unfortunate demise, Barrientos even made a call to an FBI agent, reporting some dude packing heat. The agent was on the line with him when the shots rang out. Talk about a messed up situation, right?
So, the story goes that around 7 p.m. on his final day on Earth, Barrientos rolled up to a Superior Grocers over on Figueroa and 91st streets. A black SUV tailed him into the parking lot, and three shady characters hopped out and strolled into the store. They caught up with Barrientos in the produce section, exchanging pleasantries while the store cameras caught every move. One of the dudes, Roberto Carlos Aguilar, drifted away to make some calls. Turns out, Aguilar was an illegal Salvadoran immigrant in the U.S. and had a little chat with Barrientos in the parking lot for about half an hour. Meanwhile, another MS-13 member, Dennis Anaya Urias, reached out to Aguilar during that time. Things were getting sketchy real quick, especially when Barrientos rang up 911 after spotting a gun-toting dude in black with a face cover.
In a bizarre turn of events, Barrientos gave his FBI handler a heads-up about the armed stranger, only to be silenced by gunshots mid-convo. It was chaos in the background as the agent listened in. Fast forward a month, and California Highway Patrol stumbled upon a torched CR-V in North Hollywood, which they believed was the ride used by Barrientos’ killers. Urias spilled the beans in jail, claiming the order to off Barrientos came from the top. He and another MS-13 member, Grevil Zelaya Santiago, allegedly went on a mission to take out Barrientos, faces covered and all. Attorneys for these dudes are keeping mum for now, and all three have pleaded not guilty to murder charges linked to racketeering. It’s a real mess, and there’s no telling how it’ll all play out in the end.
