DOYLE, Calif. - After nearly a week on the run, Caleb Bartels, the man wanted for the murder of Mesa High School math teacher Ryne Zahner, is behind bars after being arrested by officers with California Highway Patrol.
“He was considered armed and dangerous, so it was a great relief to know that he is in custody. But at the same time it’s still a horrible and horrific incident,” said Sgt. Josie Montenegro a spokesperson for Tempe Police.
According to police, Bartels was arrested in Doyle, California, a small town in the northern part of the state near the Nevada border.
"There was an off-duty officer who was on his way home and he actually observed the vehicle we had put on that alert, a silver Pontiac Grand Prix,” Montenegro said.
After the off-duty officer called the car into dispatch – officers responded to the scene.
“They conducted a high risk vehicle stop with additional officers and Caleb was taken into custody with no further incident,” said Sgt. Josie Montenegro a spokesperson for Tempe Police.
Montenegro says the department put law enforcement in northern California on alert after learning Bartels may be heading north to Oregon.
Police believe Bartels shot and killed Zahner in the backyard of the teacher's Tempe home last Sunday morning.
As of now, the motive for the killing remains unclear.
“We know that they were friends and believed that they were still friends,” said Montenegro when asked about the relationship between the victim and suspect.
Tempe detectives left for California Saturday night.
Montenegro says they hope after speaking with Bartels they’ll know more about what led to the shooting.
She could not say when Bartels would be brought back to Arizona to face charges.
