HUATULCO, MEXICO: Louisiana man Greg Lawson, 63, who was wanted for more than three decades after fleeing during a shooting trial in 1991, was finally apprehended after officials discovered him hidden in Mexico.
The FBI revealed that Lawson was apprehended after a tip-off claimed to have spotted him in the vacation town of Huatulco in the country's southwest.
Lawson fled the US before being found guilty of attempted second-degree murder in 1991. He was one of the criminals that the FBI agents sought out the most over the years.
He was captured on camera grinning as he was put in handcuffs for the first time in 32 years while wearing a khaki shirt and flowy green slacks.
Greg Lawson was initially convicted in 1991
Lawson — a Louisiana native — was found guilty in a 1991 trial. He left the country before a jury convicted him of attempted second-degree murder in the killing of Seth Garlington 32 years ago, per Daily Mail.
He disappeared from the small rural town of Ringgold, which had 1,370 residents at the time, in May 1991, and has been on the agency's wanted list ever since.
According to KTBS, Lawson was convicted of attempted second-degree murder for attempting to shoot his childhood friend in what the neighborhood remembers as one of the greatest shootouts Ringgold has ever seen.
Moments earlier, Lawson, then 31, attempted to run Seth Garlington's car off the road, which resulted in a fistfight in the gas station parking lot and the drawing of weapons.
Garlington recovered from his wounds, which led to Lawson's conviction; nevertheless, he left the area before the jury could announce its decision.
In a 2007 interview with KSLA NEWS, Ryanie Evans, a former acquaintance of Lawson, claimed, "They couldn't settle things with their hands, so they brought out the guns."
Greg Lawson captured with help from Mexican authorities
Lawson was apprehended in Mexico's Huatulco. Special agents from the FBI's New Orleans office played a crucial role in the dramatic capture. Besides, the cooperation between the FBI and Mexican immigration authorities was also essential in bringing him to book.
Lawson was deported for immigration crimes after being tracked down by immigration authorities in Mexico and Shreveport, Louisiana.
Special Agent in Charge of FBI New Orleans Douglas A Williams, Jr stated in a news release, "There is no doubt that Mr Lawson might still be in the wind if our partners in Mexico had not been willing to deal with this so swiftly."
Over the past 32 years, the FBI has pursued an array of leads and reported sightings of Lawson around the US. In 2007, the FBI attempted to reinvigorate its search by offering a $10,000 prize for information leading to Lawson's location.
Finally, he was returned to prison owing to a reliable tip and a coordinated operation with Mexican immigration authorities.
