A man wanted in connection with a fatal shooting in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, was tracked down and arrested near the Gateway Arch grounds in St. Louis the following morning, police say. Lucas Espinosa, 32, had been the subject of an active search warrant after officers say he fled the scene of a shooting that left 45-year-old Brandon Granger dead.
Siloam Springs officers responded to the area of South Oak Hill Street at about 6:10 p.m. Saturday after reports of a shooting, according to nwahomepage.com. Police say Espinosa had already left the scene by the time they arrived. The victim was later identified by police as 45-year-old Brandon Granger, per nwaonline.com.
Search Warrant Issued as Suspect Remained at Large
The Siloam Springs Police Department announced a search warrant for Espinosa as a suspect in the fatal shooting, and investigators said he might have been traveling in a silver Kia Optima bearing an Oklahoma license plate. According to First Alert 4, police described Espinosa as a Hispanic man standing 6 feet tall and weighing about 215 pounds, last seen wearing blue jeans and a checkered shirt.
The hunt for Espinosa did not stay confined to Arkansas for long. The station's report indicates that by Sunday morning, hundreds of miles away in Missouri, St. Louis Metropolitan Police announced that District 4 officers, K9 units and intelligence detectives had found and arrested Espinosa around 9 a.m. near the Gateway Arch grounds in St. Louis City.
Notification Reached Arkansas Investigators Within Hours
Siloam Springs police received notification at approximately 8:46 a.m. Sunday that officers in St. Louis had located and arrested Espinosa, per the same account from nwahomepage.com. Investigators also found Espinosa's vehicle and seized it as evidence, as reported by nwaonline.com.
Espinosa is now in custody in St. Louis City following his arrest. Siloam Springs police said no further information would be released at this time because the investigation remained active, according to nwaonline.com.
