During a news conference Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, Metro Police Capt. Branden Clarkson shows body camera footage of the moment officers apprehended escaped prison inmate Porfirio Duarte-Herrera on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.
Published Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 | 2:19 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 | 3:11 p.m.
Porfirio Duarte-Herrera
Convicted murderer Porfirio Duarte-Herrera was arrested Wednesday in Las Vegas as he attempted to board a bus to Tijuana, Mexico, nearly a week after he escaped from a state prison, authorities said today.
Duarte-Herrera, 42, was found in the 1400 block of North Eastern Avenue after an employee at a bus depot called 911 and reported recognizing him from a flier distributed by law enforcement, authorities said.
Body camera footage showed Duarte-Herrera being taken into custody without issue. He was being held at the Clark County Detention Center.
Metro Police initially enacted major-case protocol in the manhunt for Duarte-Herrera on Tuesday, Metro Capt. Branden Clarkson said.
Investigators interviewed his known associates and canvassed certain areas, determining he had last been seen Monday night near Bonanza Road and Nellis Boulevard.
He was dropped off in the area about 7 p.m. Monday and was able to get a little money, Clarkson said. He mostly laid low, avoiding the public and law enforcement, Clarkson said.
Details about who may have helped Duarte-Herrera after his escape were withheld as the investigation continues, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said.
Federal authorities had offered a combined $30,000 for information leading to Duarte-Herrera’s capture, according to Metro Police.
The FBI had put up $25,000, said Spencer Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Las Vegas division.
The FBI will work with Metro Police and other law enforcement agencies to determine how many other individuals, if any, called in tips leading to Duarte-Herrera’s capture before giving the 911 caller from the bus station a reward, Evans said.
Duarte-Herrera had been discovered missing Tuesday from the Southern Desert Correctional Center, where he had been serving a life sentence since 2010, the Nevada Department of Corrections said.
Corrections officials later determined he had escaped several days earlier, on Friday.
Law enforcement officials today declined to discuss details about Duarte-Herrera's escape or the delay in discovering it. The Department of Corrections was invited to participate in a news briefing but did not attend, Lombardo said.
Duarte-Herrera was found guilty of murder after a pipe bomb exploded on the roof of the Luxor parking garage May 7, 2007, killing 24-year-old Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio.
Duarte-Herrara and a co-defendant, Omar Rueda-Denvers hid the bomb, which had a motion-activated trigger, in a 24-ounce foam coffee cup they placed on Dorantes Antonio’s car, authorities said.
The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and Metro Police worked as a team in the manhunt for Duarte-Herrera, Lombardo said.
They were concerned for the safety of the public, those involved in the bombing case and police officers in the field, he said.
“This is a case which ultimately ended well, even though the fugitive had a four-day head start after escaping,” Lombardo said. “We were fortunate no one else was hurt. Many times these types of cases end in tragedy.”
