ST. JOHNS, Ariz. — A forest ranger who alertly spotted a pair of fugitives at a remote Arizona campsite was hailed Friday as "a true hero" after his tip allowed a heavily armed law enforcement contingent to capture the couple.The efforts by the ranger came at great risk. Fugitive John McCluskey had a gun in his possession and told officers he wished he would have shot the forest ranger when he had the chance, authorities said.
"He is a true hero," Apache County Sheriff Joseph Dedman said. "He made contact. He was out there doing his job when he saw these two fugitives."
McCluskey and Casslyn Welch were captured after a three-week manhunt that made them two of the most wanted fugitives in America and drew hundreds of false sightings.
It's not clear where the fugitives traveled while on the run. They are suspected in several crimes, including the killing of a couple in New Mexico.
McCluskey fled July 30 with two other inmates from a private prison in northwest Arizona and evaded authorities in at least six states before being caught Thursday evening just 300 miles east of the prison.
Authorities arrested McCluskey, 45, and his alleged accomplice Casslyn Welch, 44, at a campsite in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in eastern Arizona.
Welch, who is McCluskey's fiancee and cousin, reached for a weapon but dropped it when she realized she was outgunned by a swarming SWAT team, said David Gonzales, U.S. marshal for Arizona.
Officers apprehended McCluskey without incident after finding him lying in a sleeping bag outside a tent. He told authorities he had a gun in his tent and would have shot them if he had been able to reach for it.
No comments:
Post a Comment