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Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, was arrested Friday morning in Bakersfield, California
He’s suspected of shooting dead Corporal Ronil Singh on Wednesday morning when the officer pulled him over on suspicion of DUI
Hundreds gathered for a tearful candlelit vigil for Singh Friday evening
Authorities launched a massive two-day manhunt for Arriaga after shooting
He was arrested about 200 miles away from the shooting location and was trying to flee to Mexico, cops say
Eight additional suspects have been arrested for helping Arriaga evade capture including two of his brothers, his girlfriend, a co-worker and three others
Investigators also may have recovered the handgun murder weapon
He was identified as a Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally years ago
Arriaga had two previous DUI’s and is in the notoriously violent Sureños gang
The illegal immigrant accused of murdering a California cop on Christmas Day was caught while trying to flee to Mexico – and placed in the slain officer’s handcuffs.
After a two-day statewide manhunt, police arrested Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, a suspected member of the notorious Sureños street gang, on Friday morning.
He’s accused of shooting dead Newman Police Corporal Ronil Singh just before dawn on Wednesday, December 26, after the officer pulled him over suspecting that he was driving drunk.
Arriaga’s arrest has brought a sense of justice to the Newman Police Department and to the hundreds of Newman, California residents who gathered in the city’s downtown plaza on Friday evening for a tearful candlelight vigil.
The emotional vigil led by Singh’s wife Anamika, who attended with their five-month-old son, and her husband’s K-9 partner Sam.
The downtown Plaza Square was decorated with white and blue flowers and blue ribbons to honor the seven-year veteran.
Singh was a native of Fiji and lived in Modesto with his wife and their baby. He joined the Newman police force in 2011.
‘He was a friend to everyone on Facebook and even in person, he was very close to the community,’ Newman resident Lupita Quirarte said to ABC.
‘He always talked about work and how great the city of Newman was, he always talked about getting a job as an officer. Ronil loved his job and the people of Newman,’ Singh’s grieving brother Reggie said.
‘We are a small, tight knit community. We are all very happy that he is caught, justice will be served,’ Newman resident Kimbery Lobo added.
