LINCOLN, Neb. — A 20-year-old Salvadoran national has been sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison following a multi-agency investigation that began with a stolen truck and ended in a high-speed pursuit across Nebraska.
Michael Alexander Ayala-Ramirez, identified as an illegal alien from El Salvador, was sentenced on May 8 to 70 months in federal prison for being a prohibited person in possession of firearms. U.S. District Judge Susan M. Bazis handed down the sentence in Lincoln federal court. Ayala-Ramirez will also serve three years of supervised release and is subject to removal from the United States after completing his sentence.
According to court records, the incident began on July 4, 2024, when a pickup truck was reported stolen from Denver International Airport. On July 6, an Ogallala police officer spotted the vehicle, which was occupied by Ayala-Ramirez, Pablo Escobar-Alas, and Selvin Escobar-Rivera. Ayala-Ramirez, who was driving, fled from police, initiating a high-speed chase through multiple counties.
Authorities deployed stop sticks near the Deuel and Keith County line, ending the pursuit in a farmyard where Ayala-Ramirez and Escobar-Alas attempted to hide with bags containing four firearms, including a stolen Smith & Wesson pistol and a Del Ton DTI-15 rifle. The pair then stole another truck from the property, triggering a second chase before being captured.
Escobar-Rivera fled on foot but was later arrested. A second stolen pistol was found in the area of the truck where he had been seated.
All three individuals had previously been deported and had no legal right to be in the United States. Escobar-Alas and Escobar-Rivera’s cases remain pending.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Nebraska State Patrol, Deuel County Sheriff’s Office, Ogallala Police Department, and Denver Police Department.
