Suspect in deadly El Paso home invasion has extensive criminal history
The man accused in a deadly home invasion in Northeast El Paso on Thanksgiving evening was also involved in a kidnaping in Las Cruces hours before.
Jason A. Gibson, 38, was arrested by U.S. Marshals officials in Florida on Tuesday afternoon. ABC-7 has obtained police reports stating Gibson is also wanted on a homicide charge in California.
An El Paso police spokesman has confirmed Gibson is the suspect accused of killing an El Paso man and wounding the victim’s son and wife. 58-year-old Juan Salas was found dead inside his home at 8324 Signal Peak in Northeast El Paso on Thanksgiving Day. Salas’ wife, 58-year-old Lorenza Salas, and his son, 24-year-old Johnathan Salas, were also shot. Both remain hospitalized in critical condition.
Police say Gibson, 38, was arrested by U.S. Marshals and Daytona Beach Police “after a brief chase” in Daytona Beach, Florida on Tuesday, November 27, 2018.
A police report obtained by ABC-7 states Gibson stole Juan Salas’ car after the deadly home invasion on Thanksgiving Day and drove it to Daytona Beach. A police officer said he spotted Gibson driving Salas’ car, which had been reported stolen. The same police officer also identified Gibson as a wanted fugitive out of Texas.
Gibson wrecked Salas’ car and several law enforcement units during the ensuing police pursuit in Florida, the police reports state. After the car Gibson was driving became disabled, Gibson allegedly threw away a .22 caliber revolver while attempting to run away from police. Moments later, he was taken into custody. Two passengers inside the stolen vehicle with Gibson cooperated with police, the police report states.
WNDB and the News Journal in Daytona Beach both report Gibson’s photo was distributed by police on social media earlier that Tuesday afternoon. Police described Gibson as a “violent fugitive from Texas considered armed and dangerous.”
LAS CRUCES KIDNAPPING AND CRIMINAL HISTORY
Hours before he was involved in the Thanksgiving Day home invasion in El Paso, Gibson allegedly assaulted an elderly man in Las Cruces. Police said Gibson forced his way into the man’s home in a gated mobile home park. After brutally beating the homeowner, Gibson allegedly kidnapped the man’s daughter and a friend when they arrived at the home to pick up the man for a Thanksgiving meal. Armed with a handgun, Gibson ordered the daughter to drive him to El Paso, police said.
The ABC-7 I-Team has learned Gibson had an extensive criminal history in Arizona, where he pleaded guilty in 2009 to a charge of First Degree Burglary. Charges of Armed Robbery and Aggravated Assault were dismissed after Gibson pleaded guilty to the burglary charge.
ABC-7 has also learned Gibson is wanted in California on charges of “homicide – will full kill with gun” and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In New Mexico, Gibson is charged with aggravated burglary, aggravated battery resulting in great bodily harm, aggravated assault and larceny in connection to the kidnapping.
Gibson’s last known address is in Moriarty, New Mexico, according to the police reports.
