A former Los Angeles Police Department officer wanted for murder was arrested Tuesday by Mexican authorities in the border city of Ciudad Juarez and then deported to the United States, where he was booked into the El Paso County Jail.
Henry Solis on Wednesday appeared before a magistrate judge in El Paso, Texas, where he will remain pending a hearing to determine if he will fight extradition to California.
Solis, who is now in the custody of the FBI, had been staying with relatives in the Juarez area, according to federal agents.
Special Agent Scott Garriola said the 27-year-old “was being moved from one house to another” to help him avoid capture. Garriola said he did not know specifics of what happened when Solis was arrested, although he was told by Mexican authorities that there was “some kind of resistance.”
Garriola said he received a tip over the weekend about a possible location where Solis was being hidden, and he passed the information along to the FBI’s bureau in Texas, which in turn notified Mexican authorities.
The FBI had offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to Solis’ capture, and Garriola said officials were reviewing whether anyone will be eligible to claim the money.
Solis was named in a federal arrest warrant stemming from the March 3 killing of Salome Rodriguez Jr., 23. Rodriguez was gunned down in Pomona following a fistfight at a bar. Investigators said they believe Solis pursued Rodriguez on foot before shooting him multiple times. Rodriguez died at a hospital.
According to an affidavit filed in support of a federal arrest warrant, investigators learned from family members, friends and witnesses that after the shooting, “Solis made incriminating statements about his role in the murder of Rodriguez and stated that he would never be seen again.”
Federal authorities said Solis fled to Mexico with the help of his father, Lancaster resident Victor Solis, who was later arrested for allegedly lying to the FBI. Victor and Henry Solis were spotted by a security camera as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border on March 14.
Victor Solis recently posted bail and was released from custody.
Henry Solis, who was a probationary officer in the LAPD Devonshire Division in the San Fernando Valley, was fired by the department following the shooting. Solis is also a former Marine.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said he was “pleased that Mr. Solis is now in custody and will be held accountable for his actions.”
“We appreciate the diligence and perseverance our partners at the Pomona Police Department and the FBI demonstrated in pursuing this case,” Beck said.
[Information via City News Service.]
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Warrant: Lancaster dad helped son, wanted for murder, flee to Texas [updated]
Tim Scott says
Care to make any bets on how many of the friends that he boasted to about having murdered someone were fellow police officers who did absolutely nothing about it?
The blue wall of silence is among the most dangerous things our society faces.
Cali Palmdale says
Good Job but still thanks Mexican authorities for a good job. I think its fair let the old man go free.
John says
oh hec no. prosecute the farther to the fullest extent of the law.
Jay says
I agree.
Lae says
totally agree, John. victor solis broke the law, and regardless of his intentions, he deserves to be punished for it.