FBI Top Ten Fugitive and Reputed Los Angeles Gang Member Apprehended in Mexico for 2000 Automatic Weapon Attack on Two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies

A member of the FBI’s Top Ten list of Most Wanted Fugitives, wanted for a brutal attack on two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies during a routine traffic stop, was arrested in Mexico on Friday, July 17th, announced Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles and Leroy Baca, Sheriff for Los Angeles County.

Preciado was arrested on the evening of Friday, July 17th, in the town of Corral Piedras, a rural area near Yagos, Nayarit, Mexico. Preciado was reportedly using the alias, “Regalo Castaneda-Castaneda” while living in Mexico. Preciado was located and apprehended by officers with the Policia Federal Ministerial (formerly the Agencia Federal de Investigaciones) based on information developed by the FBI’s Legal Attache assigned to Mexico City, working in conjunction with the FBI in Los Angeles and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives. A reward of up to $150,000 will be paid in this case. Preciado is being held in the custody of the Mexican federal police and will be transferred to Mexico City in the near future where extradition proceedings will commence.

Emigdio Preciado, Jr., a.k.a. “Junior,” “Trigger,” “Spooky,” and “Snyper,” the alleged triggerman in the September 5, 2000 attack in Whittier, California, was the 485th person to be added to the FBI’s historic list. On the day of the attack, Deputies Michael Schaap and David Timberlake were on patrol in Whittier, California, in a marked Sheriff’s patrol car when they saw a 1979 Chevrolet van traveling toward them. As the van approached, the deputies noticed the van’s headlights were not functioning properly and proceeded to stop the driver of the vehicle. When the van came to an abrupt stop, the deputies came under immediate attack from a burst of automatic gunfire. The gunman, one of four occupants traveling in the vehicle, appeared from an open door in the van, according to Sheriff’s detectives. Preciado, an American citizen, was identified as the alleged shooter.

Deputy Timberlake was fortunate to escape the gunfire without injury; however, Deputy Schaap was shot in the forehead and was severely injured. Preciado and the other occupants of the van fled the scene after the shooting and although the weapon was not found, detectives did recover twenty-one rounds from an assault rifle at the crime scene.

On November 9, 2000, numerous local warrants were filed against Preciado, a documented member of the Southside Whittier Mexican street gang, and three other defendants in Los Angeles County Superior Court. On January 29, 2001, a provisional warrant for Preciado’s arrest was filed by the United States Department of Justice, Office of International Affairs at the United States Embassy in Mexico City.

In August 2001, after detectives with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department had determined that Preciado had fled the state of California, the FBI obtained a federal warrant after Preciado was charged with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution, in violation of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 1073.

While Preciado had remained at large, three of the four occupants in the van had been captured; one in Mexico and two in South Whittier, California. At the time of the shooting, Preciado was wanted by the State Department of Parole for violation of the terms of his parole relative to a narcotics violation.

Salvador Hernandez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI in Los Angeles, said “Finding Preciado, like finding a needle in a haystack, tested law enforcement, but became a reality after a nine year search. His arrest exemplifies the perseverance of law enforcement at all levels in the U.S. and that of our Mexican counterparts, who were resolute in their efforts to develop information until the right lead came along to capture Preciado. A vacancy spot now exists on the FBI’s list of Top Ten Fugitives ”

“The apprehension of this criminal is another example of how effective law enforcement can be when we join forces to bring cowards such as Emigdio Preciado to justice,” said Sheriff Lee Baca. “Deputy Sheriff Michael Schaap was shot in the face during a traffic stop nine years ago. Thankfully, Deputy Schaap survived this unprovoked attack, but it is a reminder yet again that there is nothing routine about law enforcement. And it is also a reminder that together, all factions of law enforcement, regardless of country or border, are relentless in their commitment to bringing criminals to justice.”

Despite being featured in both local and national media outlets, Preciado had eluded capture. Preciado has an extensive criminal history including narcotics and firearms violations, a 1992 arrest for murder, robbery, grand theft and receipt of stolen property. Preciado is a career criminal and repeat offender.

Additional information concerning the FBI’s List of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives can be found by visiting www.fbi.gov.

This case was a result of an investigation by the Los Angleles County Sheriff’s Department, the FBI’s Fugitive Task Force in Los Angeles, which is comprised of members from the LAPD and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Parole Division, as well as the FBI’s Legal Attache in Mexico City and its Guadalajara Regional Office. Considerable assistance was provided by the Mexican government, specifically, the Mexican federal police, Policia Federal Ministerial (PFM), formerly known as Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI).

It is anticipated that, if extradited, Preciado will be prosecuted by the District Attorney in Los Angeles, for two counts of attempted murder. Once Preciado is on U.S. soil, it is anticipated that the federal government will dismiss the federal UFAP warrant filed in Mexico City by the United States Department.