A 26-year-old man wanted in connection with a June homicide in the Los Angeles area was arrested in Chandler after federal and local law enforcement surrounded a residence where investigators had spotted him coming and going. George Nunez surrendered without further incident on August 6, ending a search that stretched across two states.
Nunez was wanted by the Los Angeles Police Department in connection with the homicide, according to KTAR News 92.3 FM. LAPD homicide detectives eventually determined that Nunez had left California and transferred the fugitive investigation to the U.S. Marshals Service's Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, a move consistent with how local departments routinely hand off cases once suspects cross state lines, per the U.S. Marshals Service.
That regional task force, established in April 2002 under the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 and covering California, Nevada and Arizona, has apprehended more than 105,000 fugitives since its creation. Once investigators tracked information suggesting Nunez had fled to Arizona, the Pacific Southwest task force called on the Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force, a Marshals-led coalition of 22 federal, state and local agencies, to help locate him.
Surveillance Leads to a Quiet Surrender in Chandler
Investigators set up surveillance at a Chandler residence after spotting Nunez coming and going from the property. Officers eventually surrounded the home, and after several announcements ordering him to surrender, Nunez stepped outside and was taken into custody without further incident, according to the same account.
The Arizona task force draws on local suburban police partnerships, including the Chandler Police Department, which coordinates surveillance and apprehension operations within city limits alongside federal agents. The task force executes more than 1,700 fugitive arrests annually across the state, part of a broader national effort in which the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 73,362 fugitives in fiscal year 2023, including 5,447 homicide suspects, averaging nearly 300 arrests per operational day nationwide, per the U.S. Department of Justice.
United States Marshal Van Bayless said crossing state lines does not end the pursuit of a fugitive. “Partnerships allow law enforcement agencies across the country to work as one,” Bayless said, adding that the arrest demonstrates the reach of the U.S. Marshals Service. Bayless also said he hopes the arrest provides some measure of comfort to the victim's loved ones.
Extradition Process Now Underway
Nunez was booked into Maricopa County Jail and is being held while awaiting extradition back to Los Angeles, where he will face charges. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-3842, part of the state's Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, the Governor of Arizona has a statutory duty to arrest and surrender anyone charged with a felony elsewhere who has fled into Arizona, once a formal executive demand is received, according to the Office of the Arizona Governor.
In Maricopa County, defendants arrested on out-of-state warrants appear on a designated “Fugitive of Justice” court calendar, where they can choose to waive extradition or contest it, a process that can trigger up to a 90-day review period for a Governor's extradition warrant, per Maricopa County Government. If Nunez waives extradition instead, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office policy gives the requesting agency up to 30 calendar days to take physical custody, though the sheriff's office notes most transfers are completed within 10 days.
Federal fugitive task force officers are authorized under federal statute to arrest state-level murder suspects anywhere in the country without needing a separate federal criminal charge, a broad execution authority that underpinned the interagency effort to locate Nunez. Specific details about the June homicide, including the identity of the victim and any charges filed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, have not yet been made public.
