Fugitive murder suspect who mowed down LA teen cyclist captured hiding out in El Salvador
A fugitive accused of the hit-and-run murder of a 16-year-old bicyclist in Los Angeles has been captured nearly two years after fleeing the US.Jonathan Rodriguez, 33, of LA, was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport Thursday after authorities tracked him to El Salvador, where he had allegedly been hiding under his dual citizenship, according to KTLA.Rodriguez is accused of killing Jonathan “Junior” Flores during a November 2024 confrontation involving a large group of bicyclists near BMO Stadium.The deadly incident unfolded around 4:30 p.m.on Nov.
22, when a group of roughly 40 cyclists became involved in an altercation with the driver of a blue BMW on Figueroa Street near Martin Luther King Jr.Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.Exactly what sparked the confrontation remains unclear.Investigators say the chaos soon spilled into a parking lot near the stadium, where Flores and other cyclists had ridden through an opening in a fence.A driver in a black Honda allegedly followed the Flores into the lot before striking with the vehicle.
The 16-year-old was killed while the driver sped away.Investigators identified Rodriguez as the suspected driver just a day later, but authorities later determined that Rodriguez had fled to Mexico, prompting the issuance of a $2 million arrest warrant.Detectives served a search warrant at a LA residence linked to Rodriguez and seized the two vehicles allegedly connected to the incident, a blue 2021 BMW sedan and a black 2018 Honda Accord.Investigators eventually learned Rodriguez had left Mexico and traveled to El Salvador, where he was able to take advantage of his dual citizenship.The international manhunt finally began closing in after Rodriguez’s attorney contacted the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to negotiate his surrender.The California Highway Patrol then worked with the US Marshals Service, which coordinated with Salvadoran authorities and Rodriguez’s attorney to ...