Tip Led FBI To Fugitive Cop Hiding in Mexico

A former Los Angeles Police Department officer being sought in connection with the shooting death of a man in Pomona made a brief court appearance in Texas today, but it was still unclear when he would be returned to the Southland.

Henry Solis, 27, 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.

Pomona Police Department Sgt. Mike Neaderbaomer said Solis was arrested Tuesday by Mexican authorities in the border city of Juarez and then deported to the United States, where he was booked into the El Paso County Jail.

Solis is in the custody of the FBI, Neaderbaomer said.

FBI officials said Solis was staying with relatives in the Juarez area. Special Agent Scott Garriola said Solis “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 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 near Third and Main streets in Pomona following a fistfight at a nearby 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, Victor, 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.

OTHER PATCH HEADLINES

• Suge Knight Refuses to Leave Cell for Beverly Hills Robbery Trial
• U2 Manager Dies in West Hollywood Hotel After Forum Show
• Gas Leak Closes Eastbound Wilshire Boulevard
• Fugitive Valley LAPD Officer Arrested in Mexico on Murder Charge
• Local Leaders Strike Defiant Tone in Face of Immigration Ruling
• PCH to Close While Crews Install Rockslide Netting
• Torrent of Car v. Bike Crashes Prompts Police Crack-Down
• Deputies Hurt in Rollover Crash While Dealing with Man Throwing Bottles on PCH

City News Service