NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A fugitive suspected of murdering the mother of his baby last year in Tijuana is in custody in Orange County. Tyler Adams, 51, has been on the run for the past 18 months.
“Every Thursday, a group of my friends we ride our bikes,” said David Sabean, the father of the murder victim.
On his weekly bike ride with friends in Newport Beach, Sabean suddenly noticed FBI agents in the road.
“I heard this officer across the street say, ‘Put up your hands. Get out of the car or I will shoot you,’” Sabean recalled.
FBI agents were arresting a man who looked familiar to Sabean, but from a distance it was hard to tell. “He was wearing a yellow shirt, white pants, white boots. And I said that looks like the guy who killed my daughter. I said that can't be, that's not possible,” Sabean told CBS 8.
One of Sabean's friends recorded cell phone video of the arrest. Then, the six biking buddies rode away and decided to have lunch.
“Less than an hour later, the FBI calls me and says, ‘We wanted to inform you that we have captured Tyler Adams.’ I said, where? The agent said Newport Beach. I said, oh my God, I was there,” Sabean recalled.
The arrest happened on November 30. The FBI said in a previous news release Adams has more than a dozen aliases, including Aaron Bain and Paul Phillips.
Described as a master of disguise, Adams has been on the run for the past year and a half, suspected of murdering Racquel Sabean, who was the mother of his baby. Her remains were found in May 2022 inside the trunk of her car in Tijuana. Her baby was found safe in Rosarito two weeks later and returned to the United States.
David Sabean, who lives in Anaheim, is the murder victim's father and he said it was entirely coincidental that he witnessed Adams' arrest. “I still can't believe it. It's unbelievable. It's unbelievable. But on the other hand, it feels like I hit the lottery with the bonus number,” said Sabean.
Adams remains in jail in Orange County, arrested as a fugitive with a warrant out of Hawaii, where he allegedly escaped from prison in 2019. He also was charged with, and recently pleaded guilty to, misdemeanor charges of grand theft and fraud, according to Orange County court records.
For now, Adams has not been charged with the murder of Racquel Sabean in Mexico.
Her father is hoping those charges will be coming soon. “We discussed this Racquel and I and she knows he's in jail and her children are doing fine and we're going to find justice. We're going to find justice,” said Sabean.
Adams has a court hearing set for January 3 in Orange County, where the state of Hawaii will ask for his extradition on the escape charges. Sabean says he plans on attending the hearing in person.
The San Diego FBI emailed CBS 8 the following statement:
“We can confirm Tyler Adams has been arrested in Orange County on the strength of a federal warrant from Hawaii. At this time, Adams is not in custody based on his possible connection to the 2022 death of Raquel Sabean. We continue to work with our partners in Mexico to investigate the incident. Questions about Adams’ current warrant out of Hawaii should be directed to the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office. No further information will be provided on this matter at this time.”
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