Suspect apprehended 1 day after allegedly killing Lyft driver in Guadalupe

PHOENIX – A suspect has been arrested for allegedly shooting a Lyft driver to death in Guadalupe earlier this week, authorities announced Wednesday.

Angel Lopez, 29, was taken into custody Tuesday morning after deputies tracked him to a home in the East Valley town, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Lopez was booked into jail on counts of first-degree murder and armed robbery. His bond was set at $1 million.

What happened at scene where Lyft driver was killed in Guadalupe?

Lopez is accused of killing 51-year-old Lyft driver John Lucas on Monday morning.

A woman called MCSO around 8:30 a.m. to report that her boyfriend shot their driver after he took them to a neighborhood near Guadalupe Road and Interstate 10.

Deputies arrived at the scene near Calle Bella Vista and Calle Barbarita and found Lucas unresponsive in his vehicle. Fire department responders later pronounced the victim dead.

MCSO’s SWAT team surrounded a nearby home in the hours after the shooting, but a suspect wasn’t located.

How was suspect in death of Lyft driver apprehended?

After detectives identified Lopez as the suspect, patrol deputies in Guadalupe spotted him just after 9 a.m. Tuesday in the area of Calle Batoua, less than a mile from the crime scene.

He fled into a nearby residence, where he was contained by responding units, MCSO said. Lopez then complied with commands to exit the home and was taken into custody.

Guadalupe is a small town with a predominantly Hispanic population of about 5,000 residents tucked between Tempe and Phoenix’s Ahwatukee neighborhood. It doesn’t have its own police department and has a contract with MCSO for law enforcement services.

“This arrest reflects the commitment of our deputies and detectives to protecting the residents of Guadalupe and Maricopa County. Our community’s safety is our top priority, and we will continue to act quickly and decisively against violent crime,” Sheriff Jerry Sheridan said in a press release Wednesday.

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