A California murderer who fled after being convicted of a Los Angeles County murder in connection with a shooting in Tijuana that killed a law enforcement officer has fled, Mexican authorities said.
The California Attorney’s General Office had planned to provide details about Cesar Hernandez’s arrest at a noon press conference. Hernandez was taken into custody Thursday night, but details were not available immediately, although it led to an arrest, including the location.
Hernandez, 34, fled December 2, 2024 and appeared in court in the Caen County community in Delano. He had been sentenced to 80 years in life in prison for first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of a man outside a bar in South Los Angeles.
He was sought by Mexican authorities for the April 9 shooting of police commander Abigail Esparza, when Mexican law enforcement tried to arrest him in Tijuana. The former US S-Service member was in the area but was not involved in the shootout, the agency said.
The commander was part of the arrest warrant, she said.
The video shows law enforcement officers and vehicles, and the car stopped near the intersection at the scene of a shootout in Tijuana’s Colonia Barcelona district, about 30 miles south of San Diego.
It was not immediately clear whether Hernandez would be detained in California.
According to the prosecutor’s office, “Cesar ‘n’ is currently facing a criminal case and his legal situation is held to be set by law.”
According to an appeals court filing obtained by the Associated Press, Hernandez, 34, was found guilty of shooting a man after leaving the bar in South Los Angeles. The victim was at the bar, so when he left, Hernandez was chasing him in his car before shooting him.
The Associated Press said details regarding the motives for the shooting were not included in the court filing.
Hernandez was transferred from Los Angeles County custody to Kern County on June 27, 2019. He was sentenced to 80 years in prison for possible parole for first-degree murder, according to the state Department of Corrections.
The video showed Hernandez’s escape in a community last year in a community about 140 miles north of Los Angeles.
Hernandez, dressed in orange prison pants and shirt, showed him running in the empty field with his officers. Authorities say that Hernandez got a key that he had somehow handcuffed, perhaps a key he made.
Source link
