The bus to California was the wrong one for Alvin McKnight Jr., but the right one for police who had been searching for the Texas man for a week after they say he shot two sisters to death nearly a month ago and then went on the run.
The capital murder arrest occurred Nov. 15 and police body camera footage first obtained by CBS affiliate KYTX was made public shortly later, showing the dramatic takedown where McKnight, 41, can be seen emerging from a bus as San Bernardino police train their weapons on him and order him under arrest.
Left top and bottom: Body camera footage shows San Bernardino, California police apprehending and arresting murder suspect Alvin Charles McKnight Jr. after his arrest on Nov. 15, 2023 (screengrab via YouTube/KYTX). Right: McKnight photo released by Gilmer Police Department when he was added to the Texas Most Wanted Fugitive List.
“Don’t reach for anything, if you reach for anything, you’re going to get shot,” an officer commands, shining a light into the man’s face.
Police say McKnight shot sisters Dermetrica Waters, 37, and Mandy Ray, 35, on Nov. 4. He was in a relationship with Waters and reportedly had a child with her. Police found the women’s bodies at a home in Gilmer, Texas that belonged to one of the women.
McKnight did not resist arrest on Nov. 15 and he is currently waiting extradition from California to Texas which could take weeks.
The Texas Department of Public Safety only added McKnight to the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive List a day before he was captured getting off a commercial bus in San Bernardino. He first boarded it in Abilene, Texas, according to police. McKnight’s reward was set at more than $17,000.
McKnight is reportedly affiliated with the “52 Hoover Crips gang,” a statement from DPS noted on Nov. 14, citing its joint investigation with two police entities including Upshur County police in Texas and members of the Gilmer Police Department, also in Texas.
Upshur County police said there was concern about the “wellbeing of other passengers” on the bus when they realized he was on board so authorities in Texas coordinated with those in California to make the arrest.
McKnight’s sister, Laquesha Monique McKnight, was alo arrested for allegedly helping her brother escape Texas after the crimes, local ABC affiliate KLTV reported on Nov. 11. Her bond was set at $500,000.
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