On 27 March 2022, the government of El Salvador, which has long suffered from high rates of gang violence, declared a state of exception following a spike in murders which resulted in 87 deaths in two days.

The ensuing crackdown has seen more than 72,000 arrests, been credited with severely damaging El Salvador's criminal gangs, and generated controversy over allegations of human rights abuses.

[11] President Nayib Bukele announced on Twitter that a "security circle" (cerco de seguridad) had been established in the town,[12] with officers stopping all arriving vehicles and demanding identification from their occupants.

[2] The military and police searched the town, including homes, for the three fugitive attackers and other gang members believed to still be hiding there,[12][8] as well as the nearby hamlets of Las Casitas and Los Planes, among others;[2] they also registered suspects.

[8] The search involved canine teams[14] and the PNC's Tactical Operations Section;[2] National Civil Police chief Mauricio Arriaza Chicas explained that Bukele had ordered them "to not spare resources" (no escatimar recursos).

[16] On 26 May, the three suspects who initially evaded capture were presented at a Security Cabinet press conference,[17][18] one of whom had been arrested by the National Civil Police of Guatemala in Asunción Mita, Jutiapa, after being found in a vacant lot illegally carrying two guns and drugs.