Murder suspect arrested in Spokane

SPOKANE - Moses Lake shooting suspect Anthony Vasquez was caught and arrested Saturday night at a home in Spokane Valley.

About 6 p.m. Saturday, law enforcement received information Vasquez, 23, was staying at a home at 18100 E. Alki in Spokane Valley, according to information from the Spokane Police Department.

Officers from the Spokane Police Department's Patrol Anti-Crime Team, SWAT and K-9 teams, along with the U.S. Marshals, set up a perimeter around the home.

Officers attempted to talk Vasquez out of the home but he reportedly fled out of the backdoor and a K-9 quickly found him. He was caught about 9:30 p.m. by SWAT members after a short foot pursuit in the area.

Vasquez has been on the run since last week after allegedly shooting and killing 22-year-old Juan Jesus Garcia in a car in the parking lot of Airport Grocery Mart near Moses Lake, according to the sheriff's office. Garcia's girlfriend and 6-year-old son were in the car when the shooting happened. The shotgun used in the shooting hasn't been found, according to the sheriff's office.

Grant County prosecutors filed a $1 million arrest warrant Thursday for Vasquez.

Vasquez is facing charges of first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Alejandro Manzo, 18, the alleged getaway driver, was arrested Thursday while at work in Moses Lake and has been charged as an accomplice to first-degree murder. Another woman inside the getaway vehicle said a man she didn't know, later identified as Manzo, had picked up her and Vasquez at a home in the Larson Housing Area before driving to the Airport Grocery Mart. Vasquez allegedly asked Manzo to stop at the store so he could buy cigarettes, according to court documents.

While waiting in the vehicle with Manzo, the woman reported hearing a gunshot before Vasquez returned and Manzo drove to state Route 17, finally abandoning the vehicle at a trailer park near Valley Road. The woman also said she saw Manzo throw the shotgun into a shed before he fled on foot, according to court records.

Police returned to the trailer park Thursday but did not locate the weapon.

Manzo was first questioned in the incident the night of the shooting after police discovered the getaway vehicle, an older pickup, was stolen from Manzo's grandfather earlier in the day.

Manzo was willing to discuss the stolen vehicle but asked for an attorney shortly after the interview started, according to court records. He was arrested Thursday after the woman was able to identify him as the suspected driver.

Vasquez's cellphone was found under one of the seats in the pickup, according to court records.

Police have also obtained video surveillance from the Airport Grocery Mart, which shows a male approach the vehicle Garcia was sitting in and appears to point a firearm at the passenger front window.

Bail is set at $1 million for both Vasquez and Manzo.