A man who fled the country after allegedly killing a 6-year-old girl while street racing in Menlo Park in 2009 has been arrested, police said Tuesday.
Shannon Steven Fox was wanted in connection with the death of Lisa Xavier in a collision at the intersection of Willow Road and Bayfront Expressway on the afternoon of Nov. 12, 2009.
A street race between two vehicles ended when one of them ran a red light and crashed into a car carrying Xavier and her mother. The young girl died the next day and her mother was seriously injured.
Surveillance footage showed the driver of the car that caused the crash then exited and got into the other car involved in the race and it sped away, police said.
Police said Fox fled the area and eventually the country, and had been a fugitive for nearly a decade. He was said to be living a "normal" life in Guatemala for a number of years, possibly with the help of relatives, until the FBI located him in December 2016.
Guatemalan authorities arrested Fox and later started the extradition process. Fox fought his extradition until he lost his final appeal this past April.
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FBI officials escorted Fox on a commercial flight back to San Francisco International Airport Tuesday night. He has since been transported to a San Mateo County jail.
"This is a big relief," Menlo Park Police Officer David Apple said. "I feel happy for the family. I feel happy for everybody involved. It's sad. It's still sad, but I'm glad he's caught."
A grand jury has already indicted Fox on three felony charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday morning. If convicted, he could face up to 12 years in prison.
Police have interviewed Fox, but it's not clear if he is being cooperative.
Menlo Park Police Chief David Bertini on Wednesday stressed that the case never went cold since the deadly crash occurred nearly nine years ago.
"I came to this department in 2011 and I immediately heard about this case and where we were with it, so this is not a cold case," he said. "It is satisfying to actually bring somebody back to justice."
