Dominican suspect may be Pa. fugitive
Authorities: Ortiz shooting suspect may be wanted for attempted homicide in Reading
Berks County authorities believe a suspect in the David Ortiz shooting in the Dominican Republic is the same man wanted in an attempted homicide in Reading last year — and they are now investigating whether he may be back in the city.
Luis Alfredo Rivas-Clase, also known as “The Surgeon,” is a suspect in the shooting of Ortiz, a former Boston Red Sox star, Sunday night and remained at large, according to Dominican officials. The suspected gunman and five accomplices have been detained, according to Dominican officials.
A man by the name of Luis Rivas-Clase is a suspect in an April 2018 shooting in Reading.
Berks County Sheriff Eric Weaknecht said several tips came in Thursday morning through Facebook, claiming Rivas-Clase is back in Reading. City investigators and the U.S. Marshals Service are tracking the leads.
Weaknecht, fielding nearconstant calls from the media Thursday, said it is unclear why the suspect might have chosen to come back to Reading.
“We’re not sure if it’s friends or family, and we’re not even sure he’s here,” the sheriff said.
Berks County District Attorney John Adams said Thursday that based on the images in the mug shots, and the name match, he believes it’s the same man. He said confirmation would have to come through a fingerprint match.
In any event, Pennsylvania authorities don’t expect to see Rivas-Clase back in Pennsylvania to face trial anytime soon, if ever.
“Since this individual would be subject to charges in the Dominican Republic, the chance of us getting him back is frankly far-fetched,” he told The Associated Press.
Rivas-Clase is wanted in connection with the April 22, 2018, shooting in the 900 block of North Fourth Street in Reading, according to a Facebook post by the sheriff’s office. The victim told the sheriff’s office that Rivas-Clase threatened to have him killed a few days before the shooting occurred, according to the Facebook post.
Rivas-Clase is one of four suspects being sought by Dominican officials in the shooting of Ortiz, who is called “Big Papi” by his fans. One of the three suspects is a woman known as The Venezuelan, or Red, and the other two are men, according to Dominican prosecutors.
Separately, Rivas-Clase, 31, has also been charged with providing false identification to law enforcement and driving without a license in Reading. Bail was set at $10,000, and records show bond was posted on Nov. 29.
But Rivas-Clase skipped bail and was subsequently declared a fugitive, according to an online docket. His attorney in that case did not immediately return a message, while court records do not list an attorney in the attempted homicide case.
According to witnesses, the shooting of Ortiz was carried out by two men on a motorcycle, assisted by two other groups of people in cars, Dominican officials said.
The national police director, Maj. Gen. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, said the coordinator of the attack was offered 400,000 Dominican pesos, or about $7,800, to orchestrate the shooting. He said the alleged coordinator was also among those in custody.
Bautista and Jean Alain Rodriguez, the Dominican Republic’s chief prosecutor, declined to give a motive for the shooting at a popular Santo Domingo bar Sunday night or say who had hired the attackers.
Ortiz’s wife says he remains in guarded condition at a Boston hospital and “continues to heal and make progress.”
Tiffany Ortiz in a statement released by the team Thursday also thanked Eliezer Salvador, the man who drove Ortiz to the hospital after Sunday night’s shooting in his native Dominican Republic, “for his quick thinking and swift action.”
She also thanked the medical team at the Abel Gonzalez Clinic who took care of him in the Caribbean nation, saying that “there are no words to express our gratitude for the amazing care you provided.”
The retired Ortiz, who helped the Red Sox win three World Series championships, is being cared for at Massachusetts General Hospital.