Authorities reported Tuesday afternoon that The former Hispanic police officer from Washington state who was wanted for killing his ex-wife and his 17-year-old girlfriend, as well as kidnapping his one-year-old son, took his own life with a gunshot to the head. during a chase in Oregon.
Oregon State Police found the body of Elias Huizar, 39, after a police chase near Eugene around 3 p.m. Tuesday. His one-year-old baby girl, who was with him, was safely rescued by officers.
Troopers began pursuing the former Yakima officer when they saw him driving south on Interstate 5, Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy said at a news conference Tuesday night.
The police pursued Huizar’s vehicle at high speed and at one point exchanged gunfire with him. The chase, which lasted approximately 25 miles, ended when the former police officer crashed into a commercial vehicle that was stopped on the interstate due to an unrelated accident.
Huizar’s vehicle spun and came to rest. When officers tried to make contact with him, he shot himself in the head and died at the scene.Kennedy said.
Huizar is accused of fatally shooting his ex-wife, Amber Marie Rodriguez, outside William Wiley Elementary School. in West Richland around 3:30 p.m. local time on Monday. According to police, she shot him eight times in front of her 9-year-old son and other people.
When police conducted a search of Huizar’s home on South Highlands Boulevard that same day, they allegedly They located his teenage girlfriend, identified by relatives as Angélica Santos, dead at the scene.
Later Monday, the Washington State Patrol issued an Amber Alert for Roman Huizar, the suspect and Santos’ 1-year-old son. Police said Huizar was traveling to Mexico in a silver 2009 Toyota Corolla, license plate No. CBZ4745, with the minor.
“All day our thoughts have been how to rescue this young man and we are grateful for the outcome that occurred,” Kennedy said.
The former Hispanic officer faced charges of child rape
Before being murdered, Rodríguez filed for a change of custody involving her two young children with Huizar last week, revealed court documents obtained by the Tri-City Herald.
The couple divorced in 2020, and Rodriguez reportedly requested a protection officer after Huizar was accused of raping a teenage girl in February.
According to court documents from earlier this year, Huizar met a girl, Angélica Santos, while working as a school resource officer at Washington High School in Yakima. She was 11 years old at the time.
When she was 15, Huizar left Santos pregnantRodríguez wrote in his request for a protective order against the former officer.
After the minor’s pregnancy became known, Huizar left the Yakima Police Department in 2021 after “receiving disciplinary action,” the department said Tuesday without providing additional information.
He then went on to work as a substitute teacher in the Richland School District until February of this year, when was arrested for allegedly raping a 16-year-old friend of his underage girlfriend.
Huizar allegedly sexually assaulted the unconscious teen after the victim and Santos had been drinking at the house.
The former officer posted $200,000 bail after his arrest, and was due to appear in court in the rape case on the day of the murders.
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