Former LAPD cop caught in Mexico was living with family members

By Phoenix Tso LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A former Los Angeles police officer who was arrested in Mexico on a murder warrant had been living there with family members after fleeing Southern California and was caught when law enforcement officials got a tip about his whereabouts, the FBI said on Wednesday. Henry Solis, 27, was taken into custody in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on Tuesday afternoon by local police and handed over to Mexican immigration authorities, who deported him to the United States that night, said Robert Clark, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles office. Solis was transferred into FBI custody in El Paso, Texas, where he made an initial court appearance on a local fugitive charge and is awaiting extradition proceedings, Clark told reporters at a press conference in Los Angeles. "This arrest demonstrates our effective partnership with our partners in Mexico, as well as our partners throughout the United States and particularly in Southern California, that there’s no such thing as borders when we pursue justice," Clark said. "We’re happy to announce the arrest." Authorities declined to elaborate on the tip that led to Solis' capture but said he had been residing in the Colonia El Mezquital area with family members and had been moved from home to home in an attempt to avoid detection. The FBI said officials would determine if anyone was eligible to collect a $25,000 reward that had been offered for information leading to his arrest. Authorities say Solis is accused of shooting Salome Rodriguez Jr. multiple times on March 13 near a strip of nightclubs in downtown Pomona, about 35 miles (55 km) east of Los Angeles, following an altercation there. Solis, who was off-duty at the time of the shooting, was terminated by the Los Angeles Police Department after he was named a suspect in the case. Authorities said Solis then fled to Mexico, allegedly with the help of his father, 53-year-old Victor Solis. The father was arrested in late March and charged with lying to federal agents. (Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Writing by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Eric Walsh)