Cop killer was in US illegally and fleeing to Mexico
SAN FRANCISCO: A man suspected of gunning down a California policeman was in the US illegally and was captured while planning to flee to his native Mexico, a sheriff announced.
A two-day statewide manhunt ended with the arrest of Gustavo Perez Arriaga, who came out with his hands up as a SWAT team prepared to raid a home in Bakersfield, California.
That was about 320km south-east of where Cpl Ronil Singh was shot and killed.
Ronil had stopped a suspected drunk driver in the town of Newman when he was fatally wounded and managed to fire back but didn’t hit his attacker.
Perez Arriaga was taken into custody using Ronil’s handcuffs, Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said.
Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, who led the investigation, blamed California’s sanctuary law for preventing local authorities from reporting Perez
Arriaga to US immigration officials even after two previous drunk driving arrests.
“We can’t ignore the fact that this was preventable,” Christianson said, asking why the state was “providing sanctuary for criminals (and) gang members.”
Christianson called for stricter laws at a news conference as Ronil’s brother wept beside him.
Perez Arriaga crossed the border in Arizona several years ago and had worked a variety of jobs as a labourer at several dairies.
The 33-year-old had gang affiliations and multiple Facebook pages with different names.
Three people were arrested at the home near Bakersfield for helping Perez Arriaga, Youngblood said.
The shooting came amid an intense political fight over immigration, with President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats at odds over funding for a border wall that has forced a partial government shutdown.
Trump tweeted about Singh’s killing, saying it was “time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!”
California’s sanctuary law limits cooperation between local authorities and US immigration officials and has drawn scorn from the Trump administration.
It includes more than 800 exceptions for violent crimes and felonies and bars cop from asking people for their citizenship status.
California Governor Jerry Brown has said the law strikes a balance between protecting families and ensuring consequences for serious criminals.
A federal judge upheld the law earlier this year after a challenge by the Trump administration.
Former state Senator Kevin de Leon, the Democrat who wrote the legislation, said it’s unfair to blame the law for the officer’s death.
Singh was an immigrant too, arriving legally from his native Fiji to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer, authorities said.
Singh had a newborn son and joined the Newman police in 2011.
Residents, friends, relatives and fellow officers held back tears as they eulogised Singh during the candlelight memorial. — AP