WASHINGTON - A violent gang member, on the run since a 2006 Washington State jailbreak, was captured yesterday evening in Manzanillo in the Mexican state of Colima.
Aaron Lopez Garcia, 31, was taken into custody by the Colima State Police, with the cooperation of Deputy U.S. Marshals assigned to the agency's field office in Mexico City. Information placed Garcia in the vicinity of an ice cream factory in Manzanillo. It was there that authorities arrested him without incident.
Garcia was wanted by the U.S. Marshals for escape and firearms violations.
Garcia and three other inmates escaped from the Sunnyside, Washington city jail in November of 2006. Garcia's accomplices were captured soon afterwards.
On Feb. 10, 2005, Garcia was discovered with a handgun on the floorboard of a vehicle in which he was a passenger. Federal charges were filed, he went to trial and was found guilty.
Garcia is a documented member of the Nortenos gang with a history of convictions to include firearm possession, robbery, domestic violence, drug possession, burglary, and assault.
"Aaron Garcia's arrest is an excellent example of how we continue to benefit from an extraordinary relationship with Mexican authorities, as well as our fellow law enforcement agencies," said John F. Clark, Director of the U.S. Marshals Service. "Garcia has an extensive history of violence and the time has come for him to answer for his crimes."
In addition to the Colima State Police, U.S./Mexican Immigration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection were key participants in Garcia's arrest. Garcia was flown from Mexico back to the United States early this evening.
For more information about the U.S. Marshals Service, visit www.usmarshals.gov.
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