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Suspect Arrested In The Murder Of Burbank Police Officer November 28, 2003 BURBANK -- David A. Garcia, the 19-year-old accused of killing rookie Burbank police officer Matthew Pavelka, was arrested Thursday in Tijuana, Mexico and returned to the United States, Burbank Police Chief Tom Hoefel said. Garcia had received assistance from "a number of gang members and associates," to go from the Burbank area to Mexico, Hoefel said at a news conference tonight at Burbank's Police and Fire Headquarters. "Utilizing that information, task force members, led by the United States Marshals, contacted Mexican authorities, and began trying to locate the suspect's whereabouts," Hoefel said. "Mexican law enforcement agencies were tremendously cooperative and were ultimately able to find the suspect in a residential area of Tijuana and they took him into custody earlier this afternoon." Garcia was taken to the U.S.-Mexican border about 2:25 p.m., and turned over to U.S. Marshals and Burbank police officers, Hoefel said. Murder, attempted murder and several related additional charges will be filed against Garcia Monday, District Attorney Steve Cooley said. Special circumstances allegations, which could result in Garcia receiving the death penalty, will also be filed, Cooley said. Arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in Burbank Superior Court. "As I said the other night at the vigil for Officer Matt Pavelka, `When it comes to murdering one of our police officers, we don't forgive. We don't forget. We don't give up.' That was the case here," Cooley said. Hoefel declined to say where Garcia was being held, citing security concerns, but did say he would not be jailed at the Burbank police headquarters. Garcia had eluded arrest since the fierce Nov. 15 shootout which left Pavelka and Garcia's alleged accomplice, Ramon Aranda, 25, dead, and Pavelka's fellow officer, 41-year-old Gregory Campbell, critically wounded in the stomach and neck, police said. About 200 officers -- including those from Burbank, Glendale and Los Angeles police departments, FBI and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department -- had followed up leads on Garcia's possible whereabouts. "The spirit of cooperation and professionalism by a wide variety of law enforcement agencies was really at play here and led to this beginning of a successful result," Cooley said. Hoefel said he had never seen "this level of inter-agency cooperation on such a large scale." "It has been beyond all expectations," Hoefel said. Mexican authorities were "very cooperative," Cooley said. "We probably would not have achieved what we've achieved so far without their thorough and professional cooperation," Cooley said. In past cases, especially when a possible death sentence is involved, Mexican authorities have refused to provide assistance to help California authorities capture suspected killers, including one accused of killing a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy. "In this situation, David Garcia was a U.S. citizen, born a U.S. citizen, and therefore the Mexican government decided to treat him as an undesirable, someone they wanted to deport," Cooley said. "That is not necessarily the case when the person that's committed the crime in our jurisdiction is a Mexican national. In that case, a whole different set of rules applies." About 40 search warrants were issued and 60 people arrested, including Garcia's mother and two brothers, as a result of the investigation. About 30 arrests were for aiding Garcia, Hoefel said. Others were arrested for weapons, narcotics, parole or probation violations, Hoefel said. A total of $110,000 in reward money has been posted for Garcia's capture, authorities said. Burbank offered $50,000, Los Angeles and Glendale $25,000 each and Los Angeles County $10,000. Pavelka was the first Burbank police officer to be fatally shot in the line of duty in the department's history, according to department officials. An estimated 3,000 people, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, attended services for Pavelka last Friday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park. The red-haired Pavelka, known as "Carrot Top" to his colleagues was a brave, fun-loving man who paid "the ultimate price" in fighting crime, Hoefel said. A candlelight vigil for Pavelka was held Tuesday in front of police headquarters. The incident began when Campbell stopped a Cadillac Escalade in the 2900 block of San Fernando Boulevard -- an area known for drug dealing, police said. The vehicle had a paper license plate and the driver could not provide any proof of registration, police said. After the officer called for backup, Garcia and Aranda allegedly got out of the Cadillac and opened fire on Campbell and Pavelka, who had just arrived, police said. Campbell remains hospitalized, but has regained feeling in his arms and hands and doctors are optimistic that he will make a full recovery, said Sgt. William Berry of the Burbank Police Department. Pavelka's father, Michael, a longtime Los Angeles Police Department detective, said he and his wife Sue "are very pleased David Garcia is in custody." "We've been waiting for this moment and hoping it would come sooner than later because it just gives us some closure," Michael Pavelka said. "Although we can never bring Matthew back, it helps in knowing that justice will at least run its course for Mr. Garcia and for our son." 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