3-Time Deported Illegal Alien Charged in Houston Freeway Shooting
EXCLUSIVE: 3-Time Deported Migrant Charged in Houston Freeway Shooting Homicides
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https://media.breitbart.com/media/20...-1-640x480.pngPhoto: Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via APBOB PRICE10 Aug 201918
Police in Navasota, Texas, reportedly arrested a previously deported illegal immigrant on charges connected to a shooting on a Houston freeway shooting that left two people dead. Immigration officials deported the Mexican national on at least three separate occasions.
The Navasota Police Department and special agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) arrested Erick Diaz-Aranda, a 29-year-old Mexican national on Friday night, federal officials told Breitbart Texas on Saturday. The arrest is reportedly in connection with a Thursday-evening rush-hour shooting on the East Freeway in Houston.
At approximately 6 p.m. on Thursday, a shooter got out of his car on the East Freeway in Houston following a collision with another car, Breitbart News’ Joshua Caplan reported on Friday.
The shooter began firing what a witness described as an AR-15-style rifle on the car as he walked around to the front of the vehicle, the Houston Chronicle reported. Another witness who said he believed the shooter might open fire on him, pulled his own gun and fired at the shooter. The shooter then allegedly got in his car and fled the scene.
Police described the shooter as a Hispanic male in his early 20s. Officials described the victims as ages 25 and 33 and said they found marijuana in victim’s car.
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted on Friday there was a “high probability the murders are drug related.”
On Friday night, police officers in Grimes County, with the assistance of ATF agents, arrested Diaz-Aranda on charges related to the Houston freeway shooting, according to information received by Breitbart Texas.
Court records obtained from Harris County (Houston) by Breitbart Texas revealed Diaz-Aranda has a criminal history that includes at least one felony conviction and one misdemeanor conviction. The suspect’s criminal history goes back to 2007.
Immigration officers placed an immigration detainer on Diaz-Aranda with the Grimes County sheriff’s office on Saturday, Breitbart Texas learned. His immigration history includes at least three previous deportations. The deportations occurred on August 2008, July 2009, and September 2009, a federal law enforcement official stated.
Murder Charges are expected to be filed in connection to Diaz-Aranda’s role in the alleged Houston freeway shooting. He could also face federal charges for illegal re-entry after removal.
“Depending on an alien’s criminality, an alien who re-enters the U.S. after having been previously deported commits a felony punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, if convicted, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official previously told Breitbart Texas. “By placing the immigration detainer, ICE seeks to take custody of aliens if they are released from local custody for any reason (e.g., post bond, charges dropped or released on their own recognizance).”
Diaz-Aranda is reported to be in the custody of the Grimes County Sheriff’s Office pending transfer to Houston.
Breitbart Texas reached out to the Houston Police Department for additional information on the suspect and the case. An immediate response was not available.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with additional information about the arrest of Diaz-Aranda on Friday night.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.
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