LONGMONT — A 19-year-old man wanted for murder in Texas was arrested in Longmont on Friday.
Longmont police arrested Erik Xavier Chavez of Monterey, Mexico, on the 1600 block of Main Street after receiving a tip from the Broomfield Police Department, Longmont Sgt. Gary Schmidt said.
Longmont police learned that Chavez was staying at the Lamplighter Motel. They waited outside his room for 15 minutes before making the arrest at approximately 4:30 p.m. when he went for a walk, Schmidt said.
Two officers drew a hand gun and a shotgun on Chavez while he stood on the sidewalk, taking him into custody without incident, according to the arrest report.
The officers confirmed it was Chavez by his tattoos.
He’s now at the Boulder County Jail.
Chavez is wanted for murder in Harris County, Texas, which is the Houston area, Schmidt said.
Longmont police won’t know the details of that crime until later this week, he said.
An officer contacted at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday also couldn’t provided information to the Times-Call about Chavez.
Sgt. Colleen O’Connell of the Broomfield Police Department said someone called in an anonymous tip about Chavez on Friday.
“It’s very rare to have someone call the police station and say they know someone is wanted for murder,” she said.
The tip led Broomfield police to a construction site at the Red Leaf housing development in Broomfield, where Chavez was working, O’Connell said.
Co-workers of Chavez said he didn’t come to work and that they dropped him off at the Lamplighter early that day, she said.
“Somehow, he may have caught wind that the police were looking for him,” she said.
Longmont police were then called to make the arrest, O’Connell said.
O’Connell also couldn’t provide information about the murder in Texas.
Douglas Crowl can be reached at 303-684-5253, or by
e-mail at dcrowl@times-call.com.
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