U.S. Marshals helped track down and arrest a 16-year-old capital murder suspect in Mexico on Wednesday, according to Garland and Laredo police.
Amancio Anton Noriz, a Dallas resident, will soon be returned to North Texas to face charges in the Jan. 14 shooting death of two teens in Garland.
“We’re ecstatic that we’re able to get the 16-year-old murder suspect off the streets,” said Garland Police spokesman Pedro Barineau. “This just goes to show the work that the detectives put into it, identifying the suspect, who he is, as well as what ultimately led to getting him into custody.”
Barineau was not yet able to speak to who or what exactly led authorities to the suspect or anything about how the arrest unfolded.
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On Tuesday, Garland Police said detectives issued a directive to apprehend warrant for Noriz. Police said they believed Noriz was connected to the fatal shootings of 17-year-old Ruben Santibanez-Arzola and 18-year-old Alen Jesus Chavez.
Typically the names of juveniles alleged to be involved in crimes or convicted of crimes are withheld, however because of the severity of the offense and because the suspect was at large, the court granted special permission for the juvenile to be publicly identified.
Police said overnight Thursday that Noriz had been located and detained Wednesday night in the area of Monterrey Nuevo León, Mexico. Monterrey is more than two-and-a-half hours from the Texas border.
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Police and the US Marshals Task Force deported Noriz to Laredo, Texas, where he is being held in the Webb County Juvenile Detention Center. He's expected to be extradited to North Texas with pending capital murder proceedings. It's not immediately clear if he's obtained an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Both Arzola and Chavez were fatally shot near a restaurant along the 2300 block of West Buckingham Road. Last week, detectives were said to be zeroing in on a video they believed could help them identify a suspect. Police have not said what led them to identify Noriz in the investigation. While the investigation continues, police will only say they believe the meetup between the victims and suspect involved ‘high-risk activity.’
Noriz will appear before a judge in Garland once he is extradited to North Texas, according to Barineau. It will later be determined whether he will face charges as a juvenile or adult.
If the case goes to trial, it is all but certain Noriz would not face the death penalty given the long-standing extradition agreement between Mexico and the U.S.
NBC 5 asked Barineau whether there could be any more arrests tied to the boy leaving the country.
“Our belief is obviously that somebody did assist him to get to the border,” he said. “It’s still ongoing, we’re going to hopefully determine exactly what led to that, the transport to kind of give us a little closure. But ultimately, what we are ecstatic about is giving the families closure.”
Anyone with information is asked to notify police by calling 911 or by submitting an anonymous tip to Garland Crime Stoppers at 972-272-TIPS (8477) or at garlandcrimestoppers.org.
Crime Stoppers offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information shared with Crime Stoppers that leads to an arrest and indictment.
