BARSTOW, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A 32-year-old man wanted for homicide out of the Virgin Islands was arrested in the town of Barstow on Monday.
On April 4, 2022, at approximately 4:14 a.m., Sergeant Jose Barrientos with the Barstow Police Department received information from a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service that a male subject wanted for homicide was possibly in the city.
The deputy identified the wanted subject as Tyley Smith, from the Virgin Islands. He explained that Smith had an arrest warrant obtained by the Virgin Islands Police Department for homicide.
According to a news release, the deputy provided Sergeant Barrientos with a photograph of Smith and information about the vehicle Smith was driving to include the license plate number.
Sergeant Barrientos learned that Smith was driving a gold Toyota Corolla with Iowa license plates. Sergeant Barrientos began a search of the City for the vehicle and broadcasted the information to all Barstow Police patrol and detective units.
On April 4, 2022, at approximately 4:52 p.m., Officer Eric Santos was patrolling the 400 block of Avenue G when he observed a gold Toyota Corolla matching the description of Smith’s vehicle.
Officer Santos observed two male subjects inside the vehicle, one of which matched the description of Tyley Smith. Once additional officers arrived, officers conducted a felony traffic stop and safely detained the two occupants.
Officer Santos identified the driver of the vehicle as Tyley Smith and placed him under arrest for the outstanding warrant for homicide. Officers identified the passenger as Bruce Powell, a 52-year-old male from Barstow, who also had an outstanding misdemeanor warrant for his arrest.
Tyley Smith was booked at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Barstow Jail for the homicide warrant. Bruce Powell was booked at the Barstow Police Department for his warrant and was released with a citation.
According to a news article from virginislandsdailynews.com, Smith was wanted for the violent beating death that left a 58-year-old woman unrecognizable. Police said the woman was beaten beyond recognition and it took weeks to identify her. Authorities said Smith followed the victim and she was later found lying in the grass beside an estate.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation may contact Officer Eric Santos at (760) 256-2211 or at esantos@barstowca.org. Those wishing to remain anonymous may also call the WE-TIP hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME or leave information on the WE-TIP website at www.wetip.com.
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