It was a chaotic scene with suspects running in every direction after authorities came knocking. And the first man to make a run for it was a man who has been running from police for a long time.
That man is 32-year-old Noe Aranda, a fugitive wanted for murder after allegedly shooting two women and throwing one from a moving car along the Katy Freeway last week.
Neighbors described the scene as one similar to that of an intense action movie. The Gulf Coast Violent Offenders Task Force raided a home on Ridge Hollow to arrest Aranda.
"I need to move. I'm very nervous now," neighbor K. Horace said.
Investigators say a tip led them to the house, where they not only found Aranda, but also uncovered a stash house for human smuggling here.
"The 16 individuals that are here are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico. And one juvenile was encountered as well," Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Greg Palmore said.
Detectives say they believe Aranda helped bring those immigrants to the U.S., but that is just the latest of mounting allegations being made against him.
Aranda is charged with murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Aranda, his girlfriend, Yadira Reynosa, and her friend, Cristina Huerta, were all inside a Dodge Magnum last week on the Katy Freeway. Reynosa told police Aranda became paranoid after taking some cocaine and that he shot Huerta multiple times. The last thing she said was "Tell my kids I love them."
Then Aranda allegedly demanded Reynosa speed faster, at which point he shot Reynosa twice. She told police she slammed on the brakes and jumped out of the vehicle, not knowing whether Huerta was alive or dead.
That's when Aranda took over the wheel and a witness told police he pushed Huerta's body out of the car. Multiple vehicles hit the 22-year-old victim's body.
Aranda is also the suspect in a high-speed chase from earlier this year. According to police, he kicked his pregnant wife out of the car then led officers on a chase with his four children in the back seat.
He was charged with assaulting a family member, endangering a child and evading arrest in that case.
Investigators say Aranda tried running on Thursday. They say he jumped fences, but this time, officers were prepared.
"We had information that he probably would run. We also thought he had an AK-47 or high-powered fully auto rifle, so we definitely we're ready for anything," U.S. Marshal Supervisor Art Fernandez said.
Aranda now is in HPD custody downtown.
Immigration agents are now at the scene preparing to transport and process the 16 people they found here.
