CENTERVILLE, Utah, Sept. 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The Centerville Police Department and Bountiful Metropolitan SWAT Team have apprehended a homicide suspect wanted in California in connection with the shooting of a 17-year-old boy.
“Yesterday afternoon, we received information of a man suspected in a Sonora, California homicide hiding out in a camping trailer behind a residence in Centerville,” says a statement issued Saturday by the CPD.
“The Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Department in California provided us with information which led to the capture of 20-year-old Joshua Rodriguez of Tuolumne, California, shortly after midnight this morning.”
A warrant of arrest was issued for Rodriguez by California authorities in connection to the Sept. 16 homicide of Eric Aguiar, 17, who was fatally shot in the parking lot of Sonora High School.
The Bountiful Metropolitan SWAT team was contacted by Centerville Police to assist with the planning and service of the California State Warrant of Arrest and a local search warrant obtained by Centerville Police, the police statement says.
“Joshua Rodriguez was hiding out with a woman in a camper trailer located in the backyard of a residence in Centerville, and was taken into custody shortly after midnight this morning.
“Bountiful Metro SWAT utilized a flashbang, also known as a flash grenade or less-lethal explosive device, no one was injured, and no damage occurred to private property during this operation. Joshua Rodriguez was safely taken into custody and booked into Davis County Jail.”
Following the arrest, a knife, a cell phone, and some drugs (marijuana) were collected from the scene, the CPD statement says. The female who was with the suspect was detained for an interview but released without charges.
No new charges were filed by the Centerville Police Department at this time. Rodriguez will be held by the Davis County Jail pending extradition proceedings.
The Bountiful Metropolitan SWAT team is composed of officers from Bountiful, Kaysville, Centerville, West Bountiful, Woods Cross and Farmington Police Departments. The team is managed by Bountiful Police.
*Correction: Centerville Police Department originally stated the teen homicide took place in Sonoma, California. It actually happened in Sonora, California.
