An Austin gang leader with a notorious criminal past, 32-year-old Louis Phillip Reyes, has been nabbed in Mexico after he ditched his court appearance in Williamson County. According to KVUE, Reyes indicted on a weapon charge from an incident in 2021, decided to play hooky on his trial date, prompting a manhunt that ended south of the border.
Caught a week following his court no-show, Reyes was sentenced in absentia to 45 years for unlawful possession of a firearm. While being present for jury selection on March 11, his decision to skip out led authorities on a chase that swiftly turned international, "The successful apprehension of Mr. Reyes is a testament to the relentless pursuit of justice by our dedicated law enforcement agencies," Williamson County DA Shawn Dick was quoted in an Austin American Statesman article.
Tasked with tracking him down, the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force discovered Reyes was in Mexico and liaised with local authorities to collar him in the town of Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas. Deported back to the U.S. the following day, Reyes was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Fugitive Task Force before heading back to Texas for his reckoning.
Before evading court this March, Reyes' rap sheet included a 2016 bust for controlled substances and the theft of an AR-15 from a Round Rock police car two years later, which he then flaunted on Facebook. The capture, as DA Dick put it, "not only signifies our unwavering commitment to the rule of law but also serves as a stern warning to those who attempt to evade it," per KVUE. His latest crime was the road rage episode in March 2021, where Reyes menacingly pointed a gun at another driver, leading to the charge that would eventually put him behind bars for nearly half a century.
