Man wanted for 2010 killing of Tacoma gang leader arrested in Mexico

A man wanted since 2010 in connection with the assassination of a Tacoma gang leader that year was booked into the Pierce County Jail on Tuesday night after being detained in Mexico.

Juan Ortiz, 24, was charged May 12, 2010, in Superior Court with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Ortiz was arraigned Wednesday on the charges, and Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set bail at $5 million.

The FBI brought Ortiz from Mexico to Tacoma on Tuesday, bureau spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich said in an email. Mexican officials arrested him in August 2016 after learning of his location during a separate investigation.

Ortiz, then 17, and Naitaalii Toleafoa, then 15, were recruited to kill Juan Zuniga, 26, by other gang members unhappy with his leadership, prosecutors alleged.

Toleafoa was extradited from Mexico to the United States in 2013 and pleaded guilty to first-degree murder the next year. He is serving a 32-year, nine-month prison sentence.

Charging documents say Ortiz went with Toleafoa to Zuniga’s home in the 3300 block of North Visscher Street to settle a debt on May 12, 2010. Ortiz then shot Zuniga and another man in the home’s garage before fleeing out the back, according to the documents.

The shooting left the other man paralyzed.

Ortiz and Toleafoa fled to Mexico after the shooting.

At least five people were convicted of felonies related to Zuniga’s death, according to The News Tribune archives.

Two other 2010 homicides were tied to the gang, which led to the convictions of nearly 20 people.

This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 6:30 AM with the headline "Man wanted for 2010 killing of Tacoma gang leader arrested in Mexico."