A former Washington state police officer accused of killing his ex-wife and girlfriend, as well as kidnapping a baby, shot and killed himself at the end of a car chase with police in Oregon, authorities said Tuesday.
Oregon State Patrol troopers searching for suspect Elias Huizar, 39, spotted him driving south on Interstate 5 near Eugene at about 2:40 p.m., Oregon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy said at a press conference with night.
A chase ensued and, at one point, the suspect lost control of the vehicle he was driving and exchanged gunfire with the soldiers who were chasing him, Kennedy said. No injuries were reported and the pursuit continued south, he said.
After approaching slow-moving traffic, Huizar hit a stopped vehicle and turned into the median, the captain said. Huizar’s car then became immobile, and when officers “contacted” the vehicle, the suspect shot himself in the head, Kennedy said.
The 1-year-old boy Huizar allegedly kidnapped was taken safely by troopers, Kennedy said. Authorities have not detailed how they believe the child was abducted.
No injuries were reported in the second and final crash, about 25 miles into the chase, the captain said.
“Today was a worst-case scenario for us – having a murder suspect in the same vehicle as an innocent young man,” Kennedy said. “This takes everything to another level for us. It’s a zero-sum game for us. We’re grateful for the outcome.”
Huizar was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Amber Rodriguez, 31, on Monday at Wiley Elementary School in West Richland as classes ended just before 3:30 p.m., Benton County Prosecutor Eric Eisinger said. during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The murder charge includes an allegation of aggravated circumstances of domestic violence, as well as a firearm enhancement, Eisinger said.
Huizar was also being investigated in the death of a woman whose body was discovered on Monday when authorities searched her home. The victim was not identified but was described in a Washington State Patrol Amber Alert as Huizar’s girlfriend.
According to a court document filed against Huizar on Monday, witnesses at Wiley Elementary School said a gunman wearing black clothing and a black hat shot Rodriguez. Eight .40 caliber bullet casings were recovered at the scene. Rodriguez was identified after the murder in part through her identity as a school employee, documents state.
The pair’s 9-year-old son witnessed the shooting, according to the court filing. The ex-husband and wife have two children together, according to court documents.
At the time of the school shooting, Huizar was on probation after being charged with third-degree rape of a child and second-degree rape, Eisinger said. His total bail was set at $250,000, the prosecutor noted.
According to a separate lawsuit over Huizar’s alleged rapes, two teenagers went to police in early February after a 17-year-old girl — who prosecutors said identified herself as Huizar’s girlfriend — told officers she woke up to Huizar doing oral sex. at her 16-year-old friend, who was left “passed out” after the three of them consumed alcohol.
Huizar and the 17-year-old “have a child in common,” the lawsuit states. Huizar met her when he was a resource officer at her high school and got her pregnant when she was 15, according to court records.
The teen took the baby and left with her 16-year-old friend after the alleged February incident, before calling police, the court filing said.
The Washington State Patrol on Monday issued an Amber Alert for the 1-year-old. The state patrol said Huizar and the boy had the same last name, but their relationship was not immediately clear Tuesday afternoon. It was also unclear whether the child was the same one Huizar had with the 17-year-old.
The warning has been extended from Washington to Oregon as well as other places in the West, Eisinger said. The alert also said that the dead women were Huizar’s ex-wife and his girlfriend.
Kennedy said the Oregon State Police received a request to issue the alert around 10:30 p.m. Monday and put it into effect about an hour later.
O West Richland Police Department previously said Huizar was “armed and considered dangerous, and likely to commit more crimes.” Portland police told West Richland authorities that Huizar was seen in the Oregon city overnight, possibly driving a black sedan.
The Yakima Police Department in Washington said Huizar was a police officer there from 2013 to 2022.
“He served as a school resource officer for a period of time, at a few schools during his employment. Huizar resigned in February 2022, immediately following disciplinary action,” a department spokesperson said.
Shelley Redinger, superintendent of the Richland School District, said Huizar passed background checks and answered no to questions including whether he had ever resigned from an employer with allegations of misconduct pending or whether he had ever been the subject of an investigation in the workplace accusing him of misconduct.
Redinger said Huizar’s last day as a district employee was in June 2023.
“We are extremely discouraged. This information about his past was not disclosed to us,” she said. “Individuals applying for employment in the Richland School District are expected to be open and truthful in their applications.”
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