AMARILLO, Texas—A suspect who authorities say fled from a state trooper, triggering a manhunt and the lockdown of three Texas schools, was in custody Tuesday facing extradition to Colorado to face drug charges.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said a trooper stopped Raul Rojas, 49, after a background check revealed he was wanted in Colorado on charges of possession of narcotics. Sgt. Chris Stephens said the trooper took Rojas to the DPS office to obtain more information, but he was not arrested and had not been handcuffed.
“We were just investigating a possible warrant. If he was arrested, we would have cuffed him,” Stephens told the Amarillo Globe-News.
The department said Rojas fled out of a rear door, prompting the manhunt. A spokeswoman for the Amarillo Independent School District said three schools were locked down for about 90 minutes during the search.
Authorities said a tip led officers to a garage where Rojas was hiding.
He was being held Tuesday night at the Randall County jail. A jailer told The Associated Press that Rojas was a fugitive from Colorado who had violated his parole. The jailer said Rojas would likely be arraigned Wednesday.
“There may be an evading arrest pending,” Stephens said.
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Some information from: Amarillo Globe-News,
