A fugitive ex-LAPD officer arrested in Mexico was staying with relatives in the Juarez area and was being moved from one house to another to help him avoid capture, the FBI said on Thursday.
Henry Solis, 27, was in an El Paso, Texas, jail while awaiting an extradition hearing to Southern California after his arrest on Tuesday. He was being sought in connection with the shooting death of a man at a bar in Pomona after a fistfight.
Solis made a brief court appearance in Texas Wednesday, but it was unclear when he would be returned to Southern California.
Pomona Police Department Sgt. Mike Neaderbaomer said Solis was arrested by Mexican authorities in Juarez and then deported to the United States, where he was booked into the El Paso County Jail.
Special Agent Scott 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. 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.
Victor Solis faces up to five years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines.
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.
The victim’s mother, Lidia Rodriguez, echoed the statement:
"This is where we want him to be to get justice."
City News Service contributed to this report.
