Fugitive arrested for attempted murder of Riverside County deputy

After spending more than a year on the run, a fugitive wanted for the attempted murder of a Riverside County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested.

The suspect, Martin Perez Jr., 31, of Jurupa Valley, is wanted for a shooting incident dating back to May 14, 2024.

Shortly after 6 p.m. that day, a motor deputy attempted to pull Perez over near Wineville and Limonite Avenues in Jurupa Valley, but he refused to yield, leading the deputy on a pursuit.

Perez eventually drove onto a dirt access road adjacent to 68th St., west of Pats Ranch Road, where he reportedly shot at the deputy who was trailing behind.

Perez drove into dense foliage near the Santa Ana river bottom before abandoning his car and fleeing the area on foot.

Authorities were unable to locate him and later determined he had fled to Mexico to evade prosecution. The deputy involved in the chase was uninjured.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit continued working to locate Perez. They developed information that he was reportedly hiding in the Mexican state of Nayarit and using various fake identities to avoid arrest.

The intelligence was relayed to the U.S. Marshals Service Mexico Investigative Liaison team, who coordinated with Mexican authorities to detain Perez.

On Oct. 9,  Perez was arrested by Mexican authorities in the Mexican city of Tepic, Nayarit. At the San Ysidro Port of Entry, he was taken into custody by authorities in Riverside County, where he will face charges.

“The District Attorney’s Office would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the United States 

Marshals assigned to the U.S. Consulate in Guadalajara and to the Fiscalía General del Estado de Nayarit (State of Nayarit, Mexico Prosecutor’s Office), whose efforts made the successful apprehension possible,” officials said.

An arraignment hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13 at the Hall of Justice in Riverside.