Photo: Stock Image
HAYWARD — A fugitive wanted for a 2019 murder is finally in custody. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers detained the suspect later arrested by Hayward police detectives. Emmanuel Padilla-Maciel, 23, of Oakland, was apprehended after he crossed the U.S. border from Mexico.
Padilla-Maciel was arrested April 19 and transported to Alameda County Santa Rita Jail. His charges include murder and intentional discharge of a firearm. Padilla-Maciel has a prior criminal conviction, and he is ineligible for release on bond.
On December 7, 2019, Padilla-Maciel allegedly killed 20-year-old John Creech Jr. The unresponsive victim was shot multiple times on Amador Way in Hayward. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.
After a painstaking investigation, Hayward detectives identified Padilla-Maciel as a suspect. An arrest warrant was obtained in June 2022. A second arrest warrant for him was issued in February of this year.
When Padilla-Maciel showed up at the border crossing, a routine records check revealed his outstanding warrant. He was held in federal custody until he was turned over to Hayward detectives who brought him back home to Alameda County.
Six months prior to the murder, Padilla-Maciel was convicted in July 2019 for carrying a concealed firearm inside a vehicle. For this he was sentenced to three years of supervised probation.
His 2019 murder case remains active. Anyone with information can contact Hayward police detective Scott Navas at 510-293-7176.
