Is Regalo Castaneda-Castaneda The Wanted Man Known As Emigdio Preciado Jr.?

There are some mean hombres out on the streets. Perhaps one less is on the streets today. Emigdio Preciado Jr., 39, was captured Friday in Santiago Escuintla (western central Mexico.) Preciado had been living there under the name Regalo Castaneda-Castaneda and working as a fisherman. Preciado is suspected of exiting a van and shooting two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies with an assault rifle in September 2000. Of the twenty-one rounds fired, one hit a deputy in the head and critically injured him. The victim has since recovered.

Although Preciado surgically removed his tattoos, Mexican police and FBI agents allegedly confirmed his identity through fingerprints. A reward of $150,000 for Preciado had been offered on the FBI Web site. Some one will soon collect. But the only thing Preciado is likely to collect is dust from his prison cell. Keep in mind Preciado is to be considered innocent unless otherwise proven in a court of law.