Juan Maestas, 36, who police linked to two separate shootings in Albuquerque on Friday, was arrested Saturday after a city bus driver recognized him.
Police had warned the public that Maestas was considered dangerous as officers searched for him following a deadly shooting.
Maestas was found near a transit center at Central Avenue and Unser Boulevard. Police said they suspected him of shooting and killing Tavis Kimbrough at a bus stop near Marquette Avenue NW and 2nd Street NW on Friday.
The Albuquerque Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center deployed a drone and monitored surveillance cameras at the transit center as officers tracked Maestas.
At about 7:40 a.m., officers approached him as he walked toward an arroyo. Maestas then ran toward a nearby neighborhood before officers used less-lethal force to subdue him.
Police said Maestas was armed when he was arrested.
Investigators also linked him to two other shooting incidents that same day.
In one, police said Maestas fired at a security officer at Presbyterian Hospital at about 12:30 a.m. In another, he was accused of opening fire at a Maverik gas station near Montgomery Boulevard NE and Carlisle Boulevard.
APD Chief Cecily Baker praised officers for their quick response and credited the department’s use of technology in tracking suspects.
She also emphasized the importance of witnesses and alert members of the public, whose observations can help police locate suspects and piece together what happened.
Maestas faces charges of murder and tampering with evidence. He is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque.
Editor’s note: Brant.One will update this case once more information will be available.
