San Bernardino Fugitive Wanted for Quadruple Homicide Captured in Mexico by Mexican Police Working with the Inland Regional Apprehension Team

A fugitive wanted for a quadruple homicide in San Bernardino was arrested earlier this week in Tijuana by Mexican law enforcement officials who were working with the FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team, announced Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. On Tuesday, 6/22, Froylan Chiprez, 36, was taken into custody in Tijuana, Mexico, pursuant to a provisional arrest warrant, in connection with federal charges of Unlawful Flight to Avoid Confinement (UFAC).

Chiprez was wanted by the San Bernardino Police Department for his role in a quadruple gang-related homicide reported on 7/09/2000 in the city of San Bernardino. After an investigation by the San Bernardino Police Department, four subjects were identified and charged with murder. Three were subsequently arrested and convicted on various charges related to the crime. At the time of the murder, Chiprez was on parole in California for a 1994 conviction for involuntary manslaughter. A Parolee-At-Large warrant was issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on 7/17/2000. Based on that warrant, the San Bernardino Police Department requested assistance from IRAT and a federal warrant was then obtained on 9/5/2000 charging UFAC. In 2010, the IRAT developed information as to the whereabouts of Chiprez in the Mexico. The San Bernardino District Attorney’s Office worked with IRAT to seek a provisional arrest warrant (PAW) for Chiprez, a Mexican citizen. The Mexican government issued the PAW on 7/11/2010.

It is anticipated that, once Chiprez is returned to the United States, Chiprez will be released to the custody of the San Bernardino Police Department and the federal government will dismiss the federal warrant charging UFAC. Chiprez will be prosecuted for the state murder charges by the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. The FBI’s Inland Regional Apprehension Team includes members from the FBI, the Riverside Police Department, the San Bernardino Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

The successful arrest and return of Chiprez was based on cooperation among IRAT members, the FBI’s Legal Attaché assigned to the United States Embassy in Mexico City, San Diego FBI Border Liaison officers; San Bernardino Police Department Homicide; and the Mexican federal police, Policia Federal Ministerial (PFM), formerly known as Agencia Federal de Investigaciones (AFI).

The return of Chiprez will be funded by the United States government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding to assist in the transportation of FBI fugitives to the United States, where the repatriation by the host country occurs through deportation or extradition.

The FBI continues to work with local law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. Photos and descriptions of many fugitives wanted by the FBI can be found at www.fbi.gov.

Media Contact:

FBI: Laura Eimiller: 310 996-3343

OR Supervisory Special Agent Donald Roberts: 909 248-6590

San Bernardino County D.A:

Deputy District Attorney Douglas Poston: 909 327-6274