By: Richard L. Smith
A New Brunswick man has been arrested following a weeks-long manhunt for allegedly attempting to kill a South Brunswick police officer during a confrontation last month.
According to information released by the South Brunswick Township Police Department, Luis Duval-Jimenez, 31, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service on Wednesday in North Jersey.
He was wanted in connection with a violent encounter that occurred on May 15 in a hotel parking lot in South Brunswick.
Authorities said officers approached Duval-Jimenez’s vehicle to arrest him as part of an investigation into fraud and car theft cases. As Lt. Frank Vitelli exited his police vehicle, Duval-Jimenez allegedly rammed into it, pinning Vitelli’s leg in the doorframe.
During the attempt to apprehend Duval-Jimenez, Captain Cory Harris tried to open the driver’s side door of his vehicle, at which point a loaded handgun reportedly fell to the ground.
Duval-Jimenez then fled the scene in his car.
Vitelli was taken to a local hospital and treated for a broken ankle, police said.
In the weeks that followed, investigators identified and arrested two other individuals in connection with the incident.
Angelica Hernandez-Mayrena, 25, and Bryan Sanchez, 20, both of New Brunswick, were charged and released on a summons.
Hernandez-Mayrena faces a criminal trespass charge, while Sanchez was charged with hindering apprehension.
Duval-Jimenez is facing multiple charges, including attempted murder of a police officer, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of a weapon.
He is being held at the Middlesex County Correction Center pending his initial court appearance.