A 31-year-old man wanted for the attempted murder of a Riverside County Sheriff’s Office deputy was caught in Mexico and returned to Riverside County to face charges, authorities said Friday.
Members of the Riverside County District Attorney’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit and Riverside County Gang Impact Team took custody of Martin Perez Jr. at the San Ysidro Port of Entry Thursday, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The United States citizen from Jurupa Valley was wanted for attempted murder of a deputy during a traffic stop on May 14, 2024, officials said.
The motorcycle deputy tried to stop Perez shortly after 6 p.m. at Wineville and Limonite avenues when he failed to yield and entered a dirt access road, allegedly fired shots at the deputy and abandoned the vehicle to run through dense foliage near the Santa Ana River bottom, the DA’s office said.
The deputy was not wounded, officials said.
Perez was tracked to Mexico. He was apprehended by Mexican authorities in Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico Thursday and handed over to Riverside County authorities.
Perez was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta and held without bail on charges including attempted murder of an officer, reckless driving and evading police, according to Riverside County sheriff’s inmate records.
His arraignment was scheduled for Monday.