KENNEWICK -- A suspect in the shooting death of a Wapato youth a year and a half ago was arrested this week during a two-day gang emphasis in the Tri-Cities.

Alfredo D. Marin, 14, of Kennewick was among 27 others with gang ties that were arrested on warrants during the sweep, called Operation Gang Siphon.

Marin was wanted on a $500,000 warrant from Yakima County for first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder in the gang-related shooting death of 16-year-old Ricky Cabrera on Nov. 12, 2008.

Cabrera and a friend were walking down a road when occupants in a green vehicle stopped, exchanged words with the pedestrians and then fired several shots.

Charges were filed against Marin in October 2009 in Yakima County Superior Court, said Yakima County Deputy Prosecutor Jared Boswell.

Three other suspects in the case -- Rosie Cordova, 45, and her son, Angel Santiago, 19, both of Yakima; and Delfino Benson, 20 of Wapato -- are awaiting a June 7 trial.

Marin has not entered a plea in the case because attorneys are waiting to conduct a decline hearing to see if Marin will be charged as an adult, Boswell said. The teen had been released to his mother while the decline hearing was pending, but a warrant was issued for his arrest for suspected violations of his condition of release.

Marin is expected to appear in juvenile court today in Yakima, Boswell said.

He was arrested Wednesday at Kennewick General Hospital, where he was being treated after getting hit while trying to cross the blue bridge Monday, authorities said.

Washington State Patrol troopers said he was illegally crossing the highway and had been drinking.

It is the third time Tri-City law enforcement officers have joined forces with state and federal agencies to track down and jail wanted fugitives.

"I think the message is clear: Tri-Cities is not a great place to be if you're a criminal gang member," said Kennewick Police Chief Ken Hohenberg. "People can either choose to get out of criminal gangs or they can choose to get out of the Tri-Cities or they're going to go to jail."

In the past year, 115 fugitives were taken off the streets during gang sweeps, Hohenberg said.

Pasco Police Chief Denis Austin, Benton County sheriff's Lt. Clay Vannoy and Robert Hines, the resident agent-in-charge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Yakima, joined Hohenberg at a news conference Wednesday to announce results of the joint operation.

"We've seen a marked reduction in these individuals committing crimes in the Tri-Cities," Austin said. "I'm very pleased."

Operation Gang Siphon, which started Tuesday morning, targeted 80 suspects involved in gangs. Of the 27 arrested, 10 were juveniles and four were picked up on ICE holds.

More than 70 officers from 16 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies participated in the roundup, helping serve warrants primarily in Kennewick, Pasco and Benton County.

Officers in each agency gather intelligence every day about gangs and other criminal activity, Austin said. That information then is shared with other agencies as they develop plans for warrant sweeps.

"This is another example of the communication and cooperation between agencies," Austin said. "We really want to have an impact and we're going to continue doing (these sweeps)."

* Information from Yakima Herald-Republic reporter Phil Ferolito and Tri-City Herald reporter Paula Horton was compiled in this report.