Deputies Catch Fugitive Accidentally Released from Jail

Murder suspect Johnny Mata was recaptured in Mexico today, more than a year after being accidentally released from the Inmate Reception Center in downtown Los Angeles.

When Mata was released as the result of a clerical error on April 4, 2013, sheriff's personnel along with federal officials determined he had probably fled to Mexico, near the California port of entry of San Ysidro.

A joint effort by U.S. and Mexican authorities led to Mexican authorities locating Mata. He was detained and escorted to San Ysidro, where sheriff's personnel took him into custody, said Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez.

Mata was rebooked into the county jail system and is being held on a $2.065 million bail, she said.

Mata is suspected of a gang-related fatal shooting in Baldwin Park in 2010.

--City News Service