Washington state murder suspect arrested in Southern California by LAPD officers
The hunt for the Washington state murder suspect ended Tuesday with Los Angeles Police Department officers arresting Alexander Lee Rogers, after it was reported Monday that his car was found abandoned in Calabasas.
The 51-year-old Longview, Washington resident is in custody after he was located near Lafayette Park in the Koreatown area, according to LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell. He spoke on the arrest during a news conference on Tuesday.
"Senior Lead Officers from Olympic Division responded to a radio call where a security officer advised that they saw Alexander Rogers," McDonnell said. "Rogers was positively identified at the scene and was taken into custody."
Officers were dispatched to the area after a security guard contacted the department, reporting that they thought they saw Rogers at around 12:45 p.m.
CBS News Los Angeles spoke with the security guard on Tuesday, shortly after Rogers was taken into custody.
"The image that I saw this morning stuck with me ... he had a very unusual face and that's what, I guess, triggered my reaction to point him out," said Louis Martinez, who works security at the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. "I saw the subject pass by ... we actually made eye contact, and when he passed by me he bit his lip, which is something people don't do unless you're nervous, and then his step increased — so he walked faster. His characteristics and paleness, he was not a SoCal guy."
Martinez, who has a career in law enforcement, double-checked security camera footage with his coworker to make sure it was who they thought before calling 911.
Rogers was arrested nearly a mile away, near Sixth Street and La Fayette Park Place.
At the same time, both LAPD officers and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies were responding to a similar call in the Woodland Hills area, where another person thought they saw Rogers. By the time their neighborhood search had concluded, Rogers had already been taken into custody by LAPD's Olympic Division officers.
Rogers is a person of interest in the Aug. 5 murder of Dawn Peters, 64, and the attempted murder of Andrew Peters, 73, according to a Facebook post from the Longview Police Department.
Police had warned the public to be on the lookout for Rogers, detailing his vehicle as a "partially spray-painted black BMW, possibly bearing Washington license plate BNU8712."
Los Angeles County deputies patrolling in the 23000 block of Calabasas Road, near the Calabasas Commons shopping center, found the vehicle early Monday morning. Upon running the license plate, they discovered that it was connected to Rogers.
Jail records show that Rogers has an extensive and violent criminal history. He was released from prison less than a year ago after nearly two decades behind bars for a 2002 case of burglary and assault, in which he slashed two victims with a machete, police said.
Longview police are expected to travel to Los Angeles soon to extradite Rogers back to Washington.
"We thank the public for the hundreds of tips received during this investigation, which played a key role in this outcome," said a statement from Longview police officials.