McAllen, Texas - A former police officer has been arrested in connection with a kidnapping-turned-shooting Sunday night in South McAllen. The former police officer used “tactical training” to carry out a kidnapping near a Wal-Mart in South McAllen, according to a police affidavit in the case.
Rene de Hoyos, a former officer with the La Joya, Hidalgo and Pharr police departments, was arrested today about 3 p.m., McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said.
De Hoyos, 28, will be charged with two counts of attempted capital murder at an arraignment hearing slated for tomorrow, the chief said during a press conference this afternoon.
McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez answers questions about a kidnapping-turned-shooting during a press conference Wednesday afternoon.
"We believe he was certainly in a leadership role," Rodriguez said, adding that police continue to seek at least two other attackers. Another man -- Jose Luis Ventura, 28, of Reynosa -- was arrested the night of the shooting.
Two victims sustained non life-threatening injuries after Sunday night's kidnapping.
The two victims voluntarily met with the suspects about 10:30 p.m. Sunday at the parking lot of a Wal-Mart store at 1200 E. Jackson Ave. The victims got into the black Chevrolet truck and rode away with the suspects, one of whom shot one victim in the arm while Ventura drove the vehicle away from the store, according to police records.
De Hoyos allegedly used “tactical training” when he and the group of assailants boxed in the victims at the grocery store using two trucks. Authorities also believe de Hoyos abused his police experience by reporting his black Chevrolet truck stolen and attempting to use an alibi to cover up his tracks.
Investigators found an Hidalgo police identification card and a certificate for completing a basic SWAT course belonging to de Hoyos inside the recovered truck.
Rodriguez said de Hoyos was among a group of suspected drug smugglers who were looking for one of their victims' brother. The men apparently attempted to kill the pair when they refused to disclose their target's identity, the chief said. A source says that De Hoyos may have ties to organized crime in Mexico, possibly the Zetas.
"It's hard to accept...that someone who has dedicated themselves to this" could commit a violent crime, Rodriguez said. "It's disturbing."
The war on drugs is just wrong; believe me, many gangsters do not like me and I am not fond of them, but we are all created equal, when society learns that lesson, when everyone is given the same opportunitys, we will always have gangs and greed.
ReplyDeleteThe corruption seems to be pervasive at the top, I respect the president of mexico and the honest policemen and soldiers for risking their lives to make the country safe for the innocent men, women, and children. In the usa, the same people who pass the strict drug laws are just as guilty as the gangs.
It is called poison gas: greed, arrogance, stupidity.