Seattle, WA – Earlier today, the Pacific Northwest Violent
Offender Task Force (PNVOTF), led by the U.S. Marshals Service, arrested
Guillermo Raya-Leon (age 26) for First Degree Murder in Salem, Oregon.
Raya-Leon is alleged to have shot and killed a Clark County Sheriff’s
Office Deputy on Friday in Vancouver, Washington.
During the investigation, the Salem Police
Department, along with members of the PNVOTF, obtained information that
Raya-Leon was located at an apartment complex near the intersection of
Sunnyview Road NE and Coral Avenue NE. Raya-Leon was observed entering a
vehicle law enforcement believed he stole after the shooting. The PNVOTF
conducted a vehicle stop and ordered Raya-Leon and three other
individuals out of the vehicle. All persons have been detained by the
Salem Police Department for further investigation.
Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Richard Craig stated,
“The goal of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force is to bring
together resources from federal, state, and local law enforcement;
utilize the specialized skills they bring to the table; and apprehend
violent offenders. I applaud the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task
Force and its partners for their determination in apprehending Guillermo
Raya-Leon so quickly. No matter how long it takes, or where they run to,
the experienced investigators on this team will work tirelessly to find
and bring fugitives to justice.”
The arrest of Raya-Leon was successful due to
efforts of the U.S. Marshals Service in Oregon and Washington, the
Vancouver Police Department, the Salem Police Department and the FBI.
The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force
is composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals from the Western District of
Washington along with Oregon, and other federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies. Since its creation in 2010, the PNVOTF has
arrested almost 14,000 violent fugitives for various offenses including
homicide, failure to register as a sex offender, sex crimes, firearms,
and federal probation violations.
Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found
at http://www.usmarshals.gov.
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First Federal Law Enforcement Agency