A dangerous Arizona fugitive who fled the state after cutting off his ankle monitor last month was apprehended in Texas, authorities said Tuesday.
Alex Bangash, 23, was awaiting trial for many violent crimes, including seven counts of sexual assault, when he fled on March 10, according to the US Marshals Service.
In an attempt to avoid detection, investigators discovered that he had been working as a farmhand in rural Texas in exchange for housing and board.
How did authorities track down dangerous Arizona fugitive?
The U.S. Marshals joined the Tempe Police Department Critical Investigations Unit in the hunt, which included various warrants and court orders to track down the dangerous Arizona fugitive’s route via New Mexico and into Texas.
Bangash was found and arrested last Thursday. He will be extradited to Arizona for prosecution.
“Alex Bangash thought he could hide from the consequences of his actions,” U.S. Marshal Van Bayless said in a press release. “However, the U.S. Marshals considers the capture of sexual predators a priority, and with the cooperation of local and federal law enforcement agencies from multiple states and districts, he was found and brought to account for his actions.”
Bangash was originally arrested by Tempe police in September 2023 in connection with a series of offenses that began in 2018.
One of his five claimed victims was a minor at the time of the assault.
He was first denied bail owing to the violent nature of the charges leveled against him, authorities said. But he was eventually released from jail on a $250,000 cash-only bond with the condition that he wear an ankle monitor.
“This arrest brings us one step closer to justice for the survivors,” Tempe Police Chief Ken McCoy said in the release.
