Authorities in Ohio arrested a man Friday who has been on the run since 2013 over a charge he sexually assaulted a girl with special needs in Puerto Rico.
The Vindicator reported that Luis Cruz Ramos, 30, was captured around 1 p.m. Friday after a manhunt and a shootout with police. He’s being held at a hospital under police guard and is expected to recover.
“He was a very dangerous individual,” U.S. Marshal Peter J. Elliot told The Vindicator. Elliot said Ramos was handcuffed when he was placed on the stretcher and taken to an ambulance.
Ramos was shot by a member of the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Fugitive Task Force, Elliot added.
Ramos fled a traffic stop in Campbell early Thursday, firing shots into two police cruisers and shooting at other officers, authorities said. He abandoned his vehicle at a Boardman cemetery and managed to dodge a search by SWAT team members.
He was then spotted Friday in the area when authorities pursued him on foot until he was captured.
A woman who claimed to be Ramos’ ex-girlfriend called Campbell police Tuesday from Philadelphia, saying he held her against her will at a Campbell home, according to The Vindicator. She told authorities of the sex assault warrant.
Campbell Police Chief Drew Rauzan said he’s thankful that Ramos was caught.
“Very sincere and heartfelt thank you to those Mahoning Valley Crisis Response Team members and marshals task force members who pursued this dangerous offender,” Rauzan said. “I am thankful that this ongoing situation was ended with no injuries to the general public or those police officers who laid their lives on the line to bring Ramos to justice.”
Ramos now faces at least two counts of felony assault for the shots he fired at officers during the chase and several other charges from separate jurisdictions, The Vindicator reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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