A fugitive from New Mexico was apprehended in Riverside following an hours-long standoff with a SWAT unit that ended peacefully, authorities said Friday.
Ralph Miera, 42, a parolee from Colorado, was arrested Thursday night after being persuaded to surrender at an apartment building in the 1400 block of Clemson Way.
According to Riverside Police Department Officer Ryan Railsback, local investigators became aware of Miera’s presence during communications with authorities from New Mexico, where he is charged with aggravated assault and armed kidnapping.
Railsback said Miera fled New Mexico recently and had been sought since then.
Detectives began monitoring his movements and requested assistance from the entire METRO SWAT unit to take him into custody, based on evidence of prior violence, according to Railsback.
After Miera was observed entering the apartment on Clemson Way, SWAT officers surrounded the location and evacuated neighboring residences before proceeding with serving a search warrant, Railsback said.
Shortly after 5 p.m., announcements were made asking Miera to surrender, and a portable phone with a direct connection to emergency negotiators was dropped inside the apartment, Railsback said.
Miera used the phone about 10:30 p.m. and agreed to give up, according to Railsback. He stepped out of the apartment minutes later and was taken into custody without a struggle.
Miera is being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside and is awaiting extradition to New Mexico.