San Antonio, TX – Jose Velez, 29, was arrested yesterday evening by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in San Antonio without incident. An arrest warrant was issued by the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) Homicide Division, where it is alleged that Velez committed first degree murder.
With the assistance of the SAPD Repeat Offenders Program (ROPE) unit, task force officers determined that Velez was living in an apartment located in the 7200 block of Marbach Road. Task force officers entered the residence and Velez was immediately arrested.
Velez is currently being held in Bexar County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
Last month, Velez, accompanied by two other men Larry Castro, 41, and Bernardo Cresanto, 25, allegedly had an altercation with another man, Juan Romero, 41, at a San Antonio sports bar. A short time after leaving the sports bar, Velez, Castro, and Cresanto spotted Romero at a gas station in the 2300 block of Vance Jackson. The three men approached Romero and beat him severely. Romero later died as a result of the brutal beating. Castro and Cresanto turned themselves into authorities soon after the alleged assault, but Velez was a fugitive until yesterday evening.
Robert R. Almonte, United States Marshal for the Western District of Texas, states, “With the assistance of SAPD ROPE, the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force was able to apprehend and arrest another violent offender. When you commit a crime and there’s an active warrant for your arrest, we’re going to stay on your heels and not let you catch your breath.”