Convicted killer who escaped from California custody, allegedly shot Mexican police officer, is recaptured
The Attorney General's Office of the State of Baja California announced that Cesar Hernandez, 35, was captured on Thursday in a special operation dubbed 'Gacela,' meaning gazelle. He was wanted in Mexico in connection with the April 9 shooting death of Mexican police commander Abigail Esparza Reyes, which took place during an attempt to arrest him in Tijuana.
Reyes was a member of a specialized investigative unit known as 'Gringo Hunters,' which works to apprehend fugitives who have fled to Mexico from the U.S., according to reporting from Reuters. Authorities told the wire service that Reyes had led the unit's regional team for eight years and carried out more than 400 operations.
'Abigail's life will be honored, and her death will not go unpunished,' Baja California Gov. Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda said in Spanish in a statement on social media earlier this month.
In 2019, Hernandez was sentenced to 80 years to life for killing a man outside of a bar in Southeast Los Angeles, a second-strike offense, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Hernandez escaped custody in December while he was being transported to an appearance at Kern County Superior Court in Delano, according to CDCR. After arriving at the courthouse, he jumped out of the van, evaded staff and fled the area on foot.
Despite the significant law enforcement effort to capture him, he made it to Mexico.
Hernandez 'had been on the run from justice in both Mexico and the U.S., making him a top priority for law enforcement' the Baja California Attorney General's Office said in a statement in Spanish.
'In Baja California, if you break the law, there are consequences,' the statement concluded.
Authorities have not yet announced whether Hernandez will be prosecuted in Mexico or California.
According to the CDCR, 99% of offenders who have left an institution, camp or community-based program without permission since 1977 have been apprehended.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
7 hours ago
- The Hill
Mexican president accuses El Chapo's American lawyer of defamation on cartels
Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, addressed the defamation lawsuit against El Chapo's American lawyer on Tuesday, rejecting his allegations of corruption in her administration. New York attorney Jeffrey Lichtman previously defended three of the cartel leader's sons and said they could detail the government's misconduct under her leadership. 'Moral and political authority is required to govern Mexico, and to be worthy of our people. So, the certainty of that authority — my history speaks for me,' Sheinbaum told reporters on July 15 in response to his claims, according to USA Today. Lichtman told the outlet her 'lawsuit has no teeth' and knocked it as a 'cheap effort to score political points' in a separate post on social media. 'After the plea, I spoke up about what I considered to be absurd remarks made by the president of Mexico about not only my client but the American government for even negotiating a plea deal with him. My response triggered a hastily convened press conference by the Mexican president in which she denied none of my words but claimed I was disrespectful to her office,' he added in the statement. 'Some free advice: don't discuss my clients in a cheap effort to score political points unless you are prepared for my unfiltered response. ' Lichtman is currently representing one of El Chapo's sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, on federal charges. López pleaded guilty to on murder and drug trafficking charges and is expected to help U.S. officials wage a war on narcotics, USA Today reported.
CBS News
7 hours ago
- CBS News
California parole agent shot dead in Oakland; suspect sought
A California state parole agent was shot and killed in Oakland on Thursday, and a search was underway for a suspect, a law enforcement source told CBS News Bay Area. The shooting happened at about 1 p.m. at a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation building at the corner of Edgewater Drive and Pardee Lane in East Oakland, just across Interstate Highway 880 from the Oakland Coliseum. A large contingent of police and SWAT officers was later seen in an apparent standoff situation outside a building on Bancroft Avenue between 66th Avenue and Havenscourt Boulevard. This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.
New York Post
10 hours ago
- New York Post
House Dems spent more than $7K in campaign funds on El Salvador trips for Kilmar Abrego Garcia — despite some claiming they paid ‘out of their own pocket'
WASHINGTON — House Democrats dropped more than $7,000 in campaign money this spring on air travel to El Salvador — and a reservation at a swanky Hilton hotel — despite some telling the public they were paying for trips to visit alleged foreign gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia 'out of their own pocket.' Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) and Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.) arrived in San Salvador April 21 to 'pressure the Trump Administration' for the release of Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member, according to a joint statement. Garcia's congressional campaign spent $1,981.99 on Taca International Airlines, a Salvadoran carrier, for travel a few days earlier, on April 17 — and another $501.53 for 'event space rental' at the Hilton San Salvador on April 29, Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings show. Frost's campaign shelled out $1,362.49 for travel on Avianca, a Latin American airline that bears El Salvador's flag, and $967.43 for travel on Volaris, a low-cost Mexican airline — both of which were recorded May 8, a week or so after their trip. Ansari's campaign reported the highest total spending on travel with $2,616.45 forked over to Avianca Airlines in four separate tranches between April 17 and 21. Dexter's campaign paid $1,315.44 for travel on Taca Airlines April 18. 6 AFP via Getty Images None of the lawmakers listed any lodging expenses in El Salvador, according to a Post review of the FEC filings, and all except for Garcia claimed they personally footed the bill for the travel costs. 'The congresswoman paid for her own flights and hotel with her own money, and the campaign paid for a campaign volunteer with campaign funds,' noted an Ansari rep, clarifying that no Members' Representational Allowance (MRA) funds were used. Ansari's office previously told a Phoenix-based NBC affiliate that the congresswoman 'paid for the trip out of her own pocket.' A Garcia spokesperson previously confirmed to The Post that the congressman 'paid for the trip through his personal campaign funds.' 6 Getty Images A rep for Dexter had said in April their member self-funded the flight. Frost's reps told Politico no MRA funds, which are provided by US taxpayers, were used. Travel expenses exceeding $1,000 are considered in-kind contributions to campaigns when recorded by a candidate, campaign staffer or volunteer, according to the FEC. 6 REUTERS Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) made a separate visit to El Salvador to try to meet with Abrego Garcia, a former Maryland resident who resided in his district, but only spent $291.25 in campaign funds for the jaunt. 'Congressman Ivey did not use MRA or taxpayer funds for his trip to El Salvador. In accordance with House Administration and FEC guidelines, his principal campaign committee covered the travel costs associated with fulfilling his official Congressional oversight responsibilities,' said Ivey's communications director Ramón Korionoff in a statement. 'All expenses were properly reported to the FEC in full compliance with federal disclosure requirements. Congressman Ivey believes it's essential to understand the real-world impact of U.S. immigration and security policies firsthand, and he remains committed to conducting his work with transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility.' 6 Notably, a review of filings for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) — the only Democrat to be granted a meeting with Abrego Garcia in what he later claimed was staged by Salvadoran officials for an embarrassing photo-op with margaritas — do not show any campaign spending for similar travel or lodging in mid-April. via REUTERS Notably, a review of filings for Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) — the only Democrat to be granted a meeting with Abrego Garcia in what he later claimed was a staged photo-op by Salvadoran officials for the purpose of embarrassing him — do not show any campaign spending for similar travel or lodging in mid-April. The main campaign arm for Senate Republicans later mocked the political trips by offering 'one-way' tickets for more Dems to visit El Salvador. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reportedly dissuaded the Dems from taking the trip — despite praising Dexter in a subsequent political livestream as well as Van Hollen, whose 'great leadership' the Brooklynite celebrated for having made the first visit to CECOT. 6 Asked in an April 29 press conference whether he agreed with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) that it was a 'mistake rallying around' Abrego Garcia, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries deflected the question. via REUTERS Asked in an April 29 press conference whether he agreed with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) that it was a 'mistake rallying around' Abrego Garcia, Jeffries deflected the question. CECOT, the notorious Salvadoran megaprison, took in 260 suspected gang members that the Trump administration deported on March 15, including Abrego Garcia who had entered the US illegally in 2011. Maryland police arrested him along with some MS-13 members at a Home Depot parking lot in March 2019. Abrego Garcia was sporting a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie that 'represents they are a member in good standing' of the gang, a confidential informant told authorities. 6 CECOT, the notorious Salvadoran megaprison, took in 260 suspected gang members that the Trump administration deported on March 15, including Abrego Garcia who had entered the US illegally in 2011. @nayibbukele/X The informant, in a report filed with the Prince George's County Police Department, said Abrego Garcia was an 'active member' of MS-13, held the low rank of 'Chequeo' and went by the street name 'Chele.' Later in 2019, an immigration judge granted Abrego Garcia a 'withholding of removal' order preventing his immediate deportation to El Salvador and allowing for removal to other nations — but he was released without the first Trump administration appealing the decision. Garcia was later moved from CECOT to a lower-security facility elsewhere in El Salvador. In June, the Trump administration facilitated the alleged gangbanger's return to the US — where he was hit with human trafficking charges. Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, and defense attorneys have denied Abrego Garcia's purported MS-13 affiliation. Reps for Garcia, Frost and Dexter didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
