WASHINGTON — After he led two police departments on a chase and hid under a parked car to evade arrest, the D.C. man suspected of firing a gun down an escalator at the Columbia Heights Metro station is now in custody.
Cesar Morales, 22, was a wanted fugitive for six days before Montgomery County investigators caught up with him. D.C. Police said they identified Morales as the man who fired shots at another man running down a Metro escalator around noon on Aug. 25.
D.C. Police officers nearby at the time of the shooting ran after Morales, who officers say threw his gun into the bushes along 16th Street in Northwest D.C. Police were unable to catch him during the pursuit, but they retrieved the weapon.
“Metro Police put out a photo of subject. He has very distinctive tattoos on his face and neck; distinctive enough that residents saw him walking around the Veirs Mill Road area, and immediately recognized him for being wanted from [D.C. Police] and called us,” said Officer Rick Goodale with Montgomery County Police.
When Montgomery County Police arrived to check out the sighting the evening of Aug. 31 near the Wheaton Metro station, officers spotted Morales and another chase began, Goodale said.
“They lost him briefly but then another alert resident said something to the effect of, ‘If you’re looking for somebody, I think he might be hiding under a car,'” Goodale said.
Morales was taken into custody and will be extradited to the District. He’s charged with assault with a dangerous weapon.
Surveillance footage showed Morales pointing a gun at another man and firing shots down the escalator around noon on August 25, police said. Shortly after Metro Police released a photo of Morales who has a number of face and neck tattoos.
Police asked for the public’s help in locating the suspect, who was accompanied by another man in the video. The victim, who was apparently not hit, did not come forward, according to D.C. Police.
Tips from the public helped police identify Morales.
Thanks to Chief Manger and his team for safely and respectfully taking him into custody. https://t.co/DLcQjPM5XZ
— Peter Newsham (@ChiefNewsham) September 1, 2017
