Armed men killed four police officers and wounded another four as they freed a leader of the notorious MS-13 gang from a court in Honduras, authorities said.

Around 20 gang members opened fire Thursday outside a court in El Progreso, around 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of the capital Tegucigalpa, the security ministry said in a statement released later that day.

During the attack, Alexander Mendoza, known by his alias “Porkys,” was able to escape.