Alleged California Murder Suspect Arrested Boarding Flight from Texas to Mexico

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested a Mexican man wanted for murder in California as he attempted to board a flight from Dallas to Mexico.

CBP officers assigned to the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport arrested Bartolo Cruz Dionicio, a Mexican national, as he attempted to board a flight to Mexico. The officers identified an active warrant from Gilroy, California, and took the man into custody, according to information obtained from CBP officials in Dallas.

Officers confirmed the warrant from Gilroy and placed the Mexican national into custody. He is wanted in Gilroy for an alleged murder and an alleged attempted murder. Details about the crime were not released.

The arrest occurred after CBP officers identified the man as a wanted fugitive. Six CBP officers arrived at the flight’s gate and wait for him to arrive for his flight. The officers confirmed his identity and the active warrants and turned him over to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport Department of Public Safety police officers. Gilroy officials will extradite the migrant to California to face the charges.

“As a law enforcement agency, our officers take every opportunity to provide support to our partners seeking assistance, especially in a homicide matter,” Dallas CBP Port Director Timothy Lemaux said in a written statement. “In this instance, we were able to apprehend a wanted fugitive who evaded law enforcement for more than six years.”

Officials did not say how they learned of Cruz’s intention to take the flight from Texas to Mexico.

CBP officials report that their officers arrested an average of 23 wanted criminals at ports of entry every day, based upon Fiscal Year 2019 statistics.