A local man who left town on the final day of his trial for beating his ex-girlfriend, attacking a deputy, taking his vehicle and carjacking another woman was nabbed by U.S. authorities in Mexico, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said.
On Oct. 2, a five-day trial before Circuit Judge James Morgan ended with the jury finding 53-year-old Armando Lopez guilty on 11 criminal counts stemming from the violent December 2024 incident in Key Largo. The jury deliberated for approximately one hour before returning its verdicts.
But before the jury began deliberating on Oct. 2, Lopez decided to skip and flee the area. He was released on a $460,000 bond. Judge Morgan issued a no-bond warrant for his arrest, and the proceedings continued in his absence.
Sheriff’s office detectives tracked Lopez to the U.S. border of Mexico in Texas and contacted the U.S. Marshals Service who adopted the case and successfully tracked Lopez down in Mexico.
“Thank you to the hardworking men and women of the Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Marshals Service and all of our law enforcement partners for getting this dangerous criminal off the streets,” Sheriff Rick Ramsay said following his capture.
Lopez was found guilty of burglary of a dwelling with a battery, aggravated battery, burglary of an authorized emergency vehicle, grand theft of a motor vehicle, resisting an officer with violence, battery on a police officer, burglary of a conveyance with a battery, carjacking, fleeing or attempting to elude at high speed or recklessly, and two counts of reckless driving with property damage. The jury acquitted Lopez on two additional counts, domestic battery by strangulation and false imprisonment.
The case began on Dec. 22, 2024, when Monroe County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a reported domestic disturbance in Key Largo. According to the investigation, Lopez repeatedly struck the victim in the head, causing fractures and other injuries.
When Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. James Hager arrived at the residence, Lopez attacked him, tackling him to the floor, repeatedly striking him with a closed fist and attempting to take his duty firearm. Lopez then ran from the residence, entered Hager’s unlocked marked patrol vehicle and drove away.
Lopez drove the marked MCSO patrol vehicle south with its emergency lights activated. He later stopped at the Sandal Factory in Key Largo, where he approached another vehicle and forcibly removed a woman from the driver’s seat. According to the investigation, the woman initially believed Lopez was a law enforcement officer because she had seen him exit the marked patrol vehicle with its emergency lights activated. Lopez then drove away in her vehicle.
A Florida Highway Patrol trooper subsequently encountered the vehicle traveling northbound on U.S. 1 at an extremely high rate of speed and driving erratically. The vehicle collided with another vehicle, overturned and came to rest on its roof near mile marker 104. Lopez was removed from the overturned vehicle, taken into custody and transported for medical treatment.
The case was investigated by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Florida Highway Patrol.
The case was prosecuted by assistant state attorneys Madeleine Thompson and Melissa Simmons. Victim Advocate Director Isnarlys Parker assisted the victim throughout the case and trial.
“Assistant State Attorneys Madeleine Thompson and Melissa Simmons did an outstanding job presenting this case, and Victim Advocate Isnarlys Parker was there supporting the victim throughout the process,” said Chief Assistant State Attorney Joseph Mansfield. “This was a difficult case, and their work helped bring it to a successful conclusion with guilty verdicts on 11 counts.”
Lopez faces the possibility of life in prison. Among his convictions are two counts of burglary with a battery, each a first-degree felony punishable by up to life in prison under Florida law. He will be sentenced by Judge Morgan at a later date.
