Fugitive’s Accomplice Killed as U.S. Marshals, Puerto Rico Police Arrest Most Wanted in Mayaguez

Hato Rey, PR – One person was killed as the U.S. Marshals Violent Offenders Task Force and Puerto Rico Police early Monday arrested in Mayaguez a man wanted for attempted murder and other charges on a warrant that carried a bail of $1.2 million.

Jose M. Rodriguez-Torres, aka “La J,” 26, the subject of the arrest and one of Puerto Rico’s 10 Most Wanted fugitives, was wanted on a state warrant for attempted murder, possession, transportation and use of firearms without a license, and tampering with an electronic monitoring device.

Rodríguez-Torres had removed his electronic monitoring bracelet during his trial for the 2021 attempted murder of the chief executive of the company Flan-es-Cedó. He had been convicted in absentia for a June 27, 2021, massacre on PR-3345 in the Lavadero neighborhood of Hormigueros, where two brothers were killed, and was sentenced to 229 years in prison for that case. In addition, he had an active federal warrant issued in 2023 for drug trafficking and firearms charges.

While law enforcement officers were executing the arrest warrant, they identified Rodríguez-Torres, along with two other individuals in a car. When the fugitive spotted the agents, he attempted to flee, driving against traffic until crashing into an official vehicle.

According to preliminary reports, one of the rear passengers brandished a black firearm, prompting agents to return fire. The individual was identified as José A. Chevrés Ramos, 29, a resident of Cabo Rojo with a prior criminal record for robbery. He was fatally shot by agents during the pursuit. Chevrés Ramos also had pending warrants for his arrest.

The FBI and the Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau assisted in the investigation but did not assume jurisdiction. The Criminal Investigation Corps of the Puerto Rico Police Department is handling the investigation, and the state prosecutor’s office has formally filed charges with the court. The judge found cause for all the charges filed against Rodríguez-Torres and Eliezer Graniela-Barreto (also a passenger in the vehicle), including attempted murder of federal agents and pointing a firearm at law enforcement.

A bail bond of $4,200,000 was set but not posted, and both individuals were subsequently booked into state prison.

Three firearms were seized from the vehicle and will be analyzed by the Forensic Sciences Institute’s ballistics laboratory. Two of the three weapons had been modified to fire automatically.

“Our communities can trust that our Deputy U.S. Marshals, together with our partners from the Puerto Rico Police Department, will not relent in their efforts to remove violent offenders from our streets and bring them to justice,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “Enforcing the law and ensuring public safety is dangerous work, and unfortunately, incidents like these are sometimes the result. We always urge fugitives to surrender, accept responsibility, and face the consequences of their actions. However, we will not stop. We will continue to search for them and fulfill our mission as agents of law and order.”

The U.S. Marshals Service encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6540, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.