Man Held in ’83 Deaths of 2 Officers

A man who authorities say fled the country 20 years ago in connection with the hit-and-run deaths of two Los Angeles police officers working the Chinatown gang detail was arrested recently in Northern California, where he had apparently built a new life under a false name.

Faustino Villareal, 42, was one of two men who, although severely injured, fled the scene of a high-speed traffic collision that killed LAPD Officers Arthur Soo Hoo and William Wong, police say. Villareal, a passenger in the car that hit the police cruiser, was believed to have been living in Mexico, but was discovered in Vacaville when he was detained on an unrelated charge Thursday, investigators said.

Working construction there for the last seven years, Villarreal had used the name Gerardo Alarcon. He was identified through photos and fingerprints.

“He was very surprised we found him,” said LAPD Det. John Garcia. “It’s a good feeling to have him in custody after all these years.”

Villareal’s arrest Friday marked an enormous break in the 1983 case, which was featured recently on TV’s “America’s Most Wanted.” The suspected driver of the car, Teobaldo Villanueva, 43, was charged with murder and remains a fugitive. Police say they hope the capture of Villareal may lead to Villanueva’s apprehension. Garcia said he believes the driver is still living in Mexico, where he too fled after the crash. “I’m pretty sure I know where he is,” Garcia said. “I’d really like to see this guy arrested.”

It was just after 1 a.m. on Oct. 29 when partners Soo Hoo, 34, and Wong, 33, were preparing to end their shift as anti-gang officers in Chinatown. Buckled into a marked police cruiser, the two were driving east on Alpine Street when a 1977 Buick Skylark ran a red light on Broadway. Police say the Buick was traveling between 50 and 75 mph when it rammed the cruiser broadside, crushing the driver’s side door and twisting the vehicle into a “V” shape. “The impact was so hard that the cars were basically fused together,” Garcia said. “Then the patrol car caught fire.”

Emergency crews arrived to find the officers dead. Witnesses told police that two men had emerged from the mangled Buick and, although they were bleeding and appeared seriously hurt, ran from the scene.

A third man left the car from the rear seat and collapsed in the street. That man, Primo Manriquez, was charged with being an accessory to murder and convicted. He was given five years’ probation and released, based on the time he had spent in custody.

Police are not sure, but they suspect that the men in the Buick may have been fleeing a crime. Garcia said that alcohol may have been involved in the crash.

Villareal is being held by the Solano County Sheriff’s Department on $500,000 bond.

He will be transported to Los Angeles as early as Wednesday, Garcia said.

Garcia said that he has handled the cold case for the last seven years, and that he took great satisfaction in Villareal’s arrest.

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Times staff writer Olga R. Rodriguez contributed to this report.