Colorado fugitive Luis Archuleta, 77, arrested by same Denver cop he was jailed for shooting nearly 50 years ago
A man, who had escaped from Colorado prison in 1974, was finally nabbed and arrested on Wednesday, August 5, by the same police officer he was jailed for shooting in 1971. Luis Archuleta, also known as Larry Pusateri, who was on the run for nearly 50 years, had been reportedly imprisoned for shooting Daril Cinquanta in Denver in the 1970s.
Archuleta, 77, until his arrest this week, was living as a senior citizen in the town of Espanola in New Mexico for nearly 40 years under the alias Ramon Montoya, according to the FBI. The fugitive had also been featured on America's most wanted between 2009 and 2010. Cinquanta, however, over the years had made finding Archuleta his "hobby."
The former officer, while talking to Fox31, said: "I have never given up on him. It just shows you: persistence does pay off. I was cold calling people and bad guys, I went to their homes, I went to their families, and most of the reception was not warm. I’m not real popular with the bad guys’ families." Cinquanta, who retired in 1990, was shot once in the stomach by Archuleta.
While discussing how he nabbed Archuleta, the former cop said that he had received a call on June 24, which handed the fugitive to him "on a platter." The former officer said: "I get a call 'I’ve thought about it, I’m going to tell you where he’s at', and this person handed him to me on a platter."
"He’s been wanted 46 years for that and I’ve been working on him 46 years and I found him. [It feels] wonderful. I’ve gotten calls from all over from policemen and stuff who thinks it’s phenomenal," Cinquanta said of the shooting. "He looked like a bad actor. I confronted him. He put his arm back and he was pulling a gun. I lost that battle. Back in those days, we didn’t have bullet-proof vests and our radios did not come out of our cars, so I had to crawl to the car and get in the car to call for help."
After Archuleta was arrested in the 1970s, he was sentenced to nine to 14 years in prison before his escape from a state hospital in Pueblo. FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider, in a statement, said: "This arrest should send a clear signal to violent offenders everywhere: The FBI will find you, no matter how long it takes or how far you run, and we will bring you to justice. I want to thank the Española Police Department for working closely with the FBI Denver and Albuquerque Divisions on this investigation and getting this dangerous fugitive off the streets."
Denver police chief Paul Pazen also released a statement in the case, saying: "The passing of time does not erase or excuse his crimes." Archuleta, after his arrest, appeared in court in New Mexico on Thursday, August 5. Reports state that the 77-year-old will now be sent back to the Colorado prison to face further charges resulting from his jailbreak.