Murder suspect and Fort Hood soldier David Vega was arrested by the Turlock Police Department Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team early Thursday morning. The 31-year-old Vega was wanted for stabbing a woman to death at her residence in the 2400 block of Haven Drive in Killeen, Texas. The murder occurred August 17, 2012.
An alert officer with the Turlock Police Department was patrolling his area, when he noticed a suspicious vehicle, a gold Jeep Cherokee, in the parking lot of the Venice Motel located on Golden State Blvd. When the officer called in the license plate that was on the vehicle, it returned as a stolen license plate and the information did not match the vehicle. The officer then checked the vehicle identification number and it returned to a David Vega, who was wanted for a murder in Killeen, TX.
Vega is wanted for stabbing a woman to death at her residence in the 2400 block of Haven Dr. on August 17, 2012. He also assaulted her 6 year old son who was in the residence at the time of the murder. He fled the residence just before officers arrived and has been on the run since then.
The officer began investigating further as to who was driving the vehicle and if they were guests of the motel. During the investigation, it was confirmed that the Killeen murder suspect, David Vega, was inside one of the rooms of the motel. The Turlock Tactical Response Team was deployed; they began evacuating other guests in the motel as they were preparing to execute the arrest warrant on Vega, who was considered armed and dangerous. David Vega surrendered without incident; he was taken into custody by officers with the Turlock Police Department and transported to the Stanislaus County Jail in Modesto.
The Killeen Police Department would like to thank the Turlock Police Department, their Tactical Unit and especially the initial investigating patrol officer, whose alertness and quick response led to the apprehension of one of Killeen’s most wanted.