Two men accused of posing as Deputy U.S. Marshals during a home invasion in Alabama have been arrested in a coordinated operation involving federal task forces
Two men accused of posing as Deputy U.S. Marshals during a home invasion in Alabama have been arrested in a coordinated operation involving federal task forces in Washington and California.
The U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force in Washington and the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force in California worked together to arrest Zealand Adams, 41, and Ramiro Vasquez, 39.
The two allegedly entered a home in Alabama pretending to be law enforcement, held the residents at gunpoint and took valuables, authorities said.
Both Adams and Vasquez were wanted by the Auburn Police Department in Lee County, Alabama, on charges including multiple counts of robbery, burglary, unlawful imprisonment and impersonating a peace officer, according to the U.S. Marshals. Investigators with the Auburn Police Department asked the Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force to help locate the suspects.
The GCRFTF determined that Adams had fled to Kent, Washington, and Vasquez to Chico, California.
Leads were sent to federal task forces in both states, enabling officers to carry out simultaneous arrests.
The suspects were taken into custody without incident and booked into local jails. Authorities said they are waiting to be extradited to Alabama.
Adams has a criminal history that includes holding a 2-year-old hostage during a five-hour standoff with police in Utah in 2014 after a high-speed chase.
That earlier case led to convictions for kidnapping in Utah and manslaughter in Louisiana.
Impersonating law enforcement officers poses threats to public trust and safety, authorities said. “Impersonating law enforcement undermines public trust and threatens community safety,” said Acting U.S. Marshal Donrien Stephens for the Western District of Washington. “Our local and federal partners demonstrated exceptional teamwork, helping bring these dangerous offenders to swift justice,” he said.
The Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force is a partnership led by the U.S. Marshals, bringing together officers from federal, state and local agencies across Washington, Oregon and Alaska to capture violent fugitives.
