LAS VEGAS — A five-day manhunt for a 10-time convicted felon wanted in Washington state ended in Nevada after federal and local authorities tracked him down just outside Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Metro Police and the FBI’s Criminal Apprehension Team arrested the 27-year-old suspect on May 13 along I-15 near Jean, Nevada, KSNV reports. On May 20, LVMPD released bodycam and aerial footage of the arrest, which showed officers deploying a Grappler device to disable the suspect’s vehicle.
The suspect had been wanted by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office following a series of dangerous encounters with law enforcement. In a recent incident on May 8 near Tenino, Washington, the suspect reportedly leaned out of a fleeing vehicle and fired an AR-15 at pursuing deputies. One of the rounds struck and disabled a patrol vehicle. No deputies were injured. The pursuit was terminated after deputies lost sight of the vehicle, sparking a search that spanned multiple states and involved several agencies.
Investigators later determined the suspect was picked up by his mother and believed the pair was heading toward Arizona. Federal and local law enforcement coordinated surveillance and intelligence gathering across jurisdictions, ultimately tracking the vehicle’s location as it traveled northbound on I-15.
“This was a complete team effort,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said. “Every state that we communicated with was completely on board right away and threw resources at whatever we needed. So, essentially, we hubbed the intelligence side of things and worked on getting the information with our federal partners, and then we had different hubs of people who were searching the different states where we thought he was.”
The suspect was taken into custody without incident. He appeared before a judge at the Las Vegas Justice Court shortly after his arrest and is currently being held at the Clark County Detention Center, pending extradition to Washington state.
“Just relief,” Sheriff Sanders said after learning of the arrest. “And also a stark warning to anyone who wants to engage in this type of behavior — there is no escape. You may be able to get away from the County Sheriff’s Office temporarily, but we are going to ask for as much help as we can, and I can tell you right now, you’re not getting away from the federal government.”
