ONTARIO — A Fruitland man was arrested in Payette County Sunday afternoon after police say he fled the scene of a deadly shooting in the parking lot of an Ontario restaurant.
The shooting happened at about 10:30 a.m. at the Los Potrillos restaurant on NW 1st Street.
According to Ontario police, a 38-year-old Portland man was shot and killed after an altercation inside the restaurant spilled out into the parking lot.
As officers arrived, they saw the suspect - later identified as 41-year-old Jaime Anthony Escobedo - driving away in a Ford pickup truck, but they lost sight of the truck near the city limits and called off the pursuit.
A couple hours later, the suspect was spotted driving near Nyssa, and another chase began. Police say pursuit entered Idaho and went through Canyon County and into Payette County, where Escobedo got out of the truck and tried to run away.
After a brief foot pursuit, police arrested the suspect at 1:42 p.m. near I-84 and Sand Hollow Road.
Escobedo was booked into the Payette County Jail.
According to police, a verbal argument between the Escobedo and victim - who has not yet been identified - took place inside the restaurant, and ended with the shooting outside in the parking lot.
"We wish to extend our condolences to the victim's family," Ontario Police Chief Cal Kunz said in a statement. "We are very grateful to our many law enforcement partners in Oregon and Idaho who assisted with the investigation of the crime scene as well as the swift capture of the suspect."
Six city, county and state law enforcement agencies were involved in chasing the suspect through Malheur, Canyon and Payette counties.
