Fugitive arrested at Rio Grande drove wrong-way in Juárez, sought in drug-related homicide
A murder suspect arrested last week at the Rio Grande was wanted in connection with a fatal drug-deal shooting in Wichita, Kansas, officials said.
The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Patricio Gomez, 32, after a pickup got stuck in the muddy river on March 28 while attempting to drive across the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wichita police had been searching for Gomez since Sept. 30 when authorities say he shot and killed 42-year-old Michael Martinez during a drug deal at a Wichita hotel.
Police allege that Gomez and a woman had arrived at the hotel for a drug transaction when a confrontation erupted and Gomez fired multiple shots at Martinez, according to a Wichita police news release. Martinez, of Wichita, died at the scene.
Gomez and the woman fled in a black Cadillac Escalade, which was found a day later at another hotel, but Gomez, who was considered armed and dangerous, had fled, police reported.
Wrong-way driving in Juárez
Moments before entering the Rio Grande, Gomez is suspected of driving in the wrong direction down a busy boulevard next to the river in Juárez.
A viral video shared by local Mexican newspapers shows a black truck going the wrong way on Bernardo Norzagaray Boulevard.
The video shows the speeding truck go onto the center median as it dodges incoming vehicles, then it continues down the wrong way lanes before going into the river levee on the Mexican side of the border.
Border arrest at the Rio Grande
The truck got stuck in the middle of the Rio Grande with water halfway up its tires as it tried to drive across the border, according to a photo released by the U.S. Border Patrol.
A Border Patrol agent later found Gomez walking on U.S. soil on the south side of the border fence along the César Chávez Border Highway near El Paso's Ascarate Park, authorities said.
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Gomez told the agent that he was a U.S. citizen and that he had just entered the United States from Mexico.
Gomez was detained for illegal entry for the unauthorized border crossing and was handed over to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office after a records check found that he was wanted in Kansas on a murder charge, authorities said.
An El Paso County Jail log lists his name as Patricio Sabas Gomez, nicknamed "Chucky." He remains held without bond awaiting extradition to Kansas.
Daniel Borunda may be reached at 915-546-6102; dborunda@elpasotimes.com; @BorundaDaniel on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Driver of truck in Rio Grande was wanted in drug-related murder
