SanDiegoRed.Com

Baja California police detained Robert Anthony Ríos López, wanted in the Los Angeles area for murder and rape of a minor. Courtesy of PEP

TIJUANA – A special state police operation in Mexicali led to the arrest of a gang member sought in the United States for the rape and murder of a minor.

Mexican authorities identified him as Robert Anthony Ríos López, 25, who had an arrest warrant in the United States.

The international liaison of the State Preventive Police (PEP), Alfredo Arenas, said an alert from the U.S. Marshall’s Office in Los Angeles indicated that a gang member wanted for murder had possibly fled to Mexico.

State agents began an investigation and he was located in Mexicali. Arenas said that Ríos López was accompanied by a minor, who presumably was helping him hide in that city.

State agents detained the gang member and turned him over to the U.S. Marshall’s Office. Arenas’s announcement did not indicate when that happened.

He said it’s the fourth suspect wanted in the United States captured so far this year by Baja California authorities.

“We know how dangerous this type of criminal can be,” Arenas said. “That’s why we have stepped up our cooperation and coordination with U.S. authorities.”

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