Bou Khathavong/Laos/Murder

Bou Khathavong, a Laotian national and one of six young men convicted in the brutal 1994 beating death of 16-year-old Eddie Polec, has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents from the Philadelphia field office. Khathavong, who served prison time for his role in the widely publicized attack, had been listed as one of ICE’s “Worst of the Worst” fugitives.

The murder of Eddie Polec shocked the city of Philadelphia and garnered national media attention. The attack occurred on the steps of a church in the Fox Chase neighborhood, where Polec was beaten to death with a baseball bat in front of multiple witnesses. Khathavong was tried as an adult and sentenced to serve time for third-degree murder and related charges. After serving his sentence, he was released but failed to comply with immigration enforcement, prompting ICE to list him among its most wanted fugitives.

Khathavong was located and arrested without incident and is currently being held in ICE custody. He will face removal proceedings based on his criminal convictions and unlawful presence in the United States. The arrest marks the end of a lengthy effort to locate and apprehend him.