U.S. Marshals and Flagstaff Police Department Arrest Man Wanted for Murder

Flagstaff, AZ – A fugitive from Birmingham, Alabama was arrested by the United States Marshals Service, and the Flagstaff Police Department, in Flagstaff, AZ on January 12, 2022. Joshua Sanders was wanted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations for his involvement in a double homicide that occurred on Thursday, January 6, 2022, resulting in a mother and daughter being killed.

"The arrest of Sanders at the Greyhound Bus Station in Flagstaff was executed in a manner that ensured other passengers and the public at the station were not placed in any danger", said United States Marshal David Gonzales. "Sanders, who was recently released from prison, and had 3 handguns in his possession, told Deputy Marshals at the time of his arrest that if he had the opportunity, he would have shot at them in order to make an escape."

Joshua Sanders was identified by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation as the prime suspect in the shooting and killing of a female acquaintance and her mother in Vidalia, Georgia, during a domestic dispute. After the shooting, Sanders stole the victim’s vehicle and fled back to Birmingham, Alabama where the vehicle was later discovered abandoned.

During the investigation, it was learned that Sanders boarded a bus from Tulsa, Oklahoma on the evening of January 11, 2022, en route to Los Angeles, California. The U.S. Marshal Service in Savannah, Georgia requested the assistance from the U.S. Marshal Service in Arizona with locating and arresting Sanders. On January 12, 2022, the U.S. Marshal Service, with the assistance of Flagstaff Police Department, were able to establish surveillance at the Greyhound bus station. At approximately 1:40 pm, Sanders was positively identified exiting the Greyhound Bus and was taken into custody by U.S. Marshal deputies and Flagstaff Police Officers. During the arrest 3 guns were seized as evidence and turned over to officers for further processing.

Sanders was booked into Coconino County Jail and is awaiting extradition back to Georgia. The Arizona WANTED Violent Offender Task Force is a U.S. Marshals Service led multi-jurisdictional fugitive apprehension unit responsible for more than 1748 arrests in the last year. The task force is comprised of 22 agencies bringing together the resources of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate and arrest the community’s most violent offenders and sexual predators.