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For Immediate Release

 Contact:
January 30, 2009 Dennis D. Harkins, Deputy U.S. Marshal
Public Affairs Officer (602) 920-4858

U.S. Marshals Capture Habitual Offender
Phoenix, AZ – The U.S. Marshals led- Arizona Warrant Apprehension Network and Targeted Enforcement Detail (AZ WANTED), Arizona Department of Public Safety - DPS (Violent Crimes Apprehension Team – VCAT), and Maricopa County Adult Probation (MCAP) arrested Anthony Soto at a home near 56th and Lewis Avenues. Anthony Soto was wanted for aggravated assault on a police officer. He was arrested without incident while he was sitting in a Mitsubishi Spyder stolen from California. Soto had in his possession a loaded 9mm pistol (carried in a shoulder holster), several magazines of ammunition, over $330 dollars in cash, a scale and a bag of marijuana. Soto had just been released from the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections on September 11, 2008 after serving 18 months for escape and vehicle theft.

On January 11, 2009 Soto was observed by a DPS Officer entering and then driving a stolen vehicle from a parking lot of a Phoenix motel. Upon the Officers activation of his emergency lights, Soto deliberately rammed the stolen vehicle into two parked vehicles and the DPS Officer’s vehicle in a successful attempt to evade arrest. Through the cooperative efforts of several local and State agencies, the U.S. Marshals were able to locate and apprehend Soto. Soto was arrested on the additional charges of vehicle theft, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of marijuana, and probation violation.

United States Marshal David Gonzales praised the work of deputies and law enforcement officers adding, “The USMS is aggressively pursuing criminals who habitually fail to comply with the law.”

The full-time federal, state, and local agencies that comprise the Arizona WANTED include: U.S. Marshals Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Arizona Department of Public Safety; Maricopa County Adult Probation Office; Mesa Police Department; Chandler Police Department; Tempe Police Department; Surprise Police Department; Phoenix Police Department; and several part-time state and local law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined. For more information on other USMS Top 15 fugitives and USMS Major Cases, go to www.usmarshals.gov.