US fugitive arrested in Spain by chance

A chance encounter in a bus station in the Spanish city of Almeria led to the arrest of a man who had been on the run from U.S. justice for over three years, according to media reports on Thursday.

Chris Ponce had been a wanted man ever since cutting an ankle monitoring tag while on bail for charges of manslaughter and driving under the influence in May 2013.

He had originally been arrested in 2012 for causing the death of 20-year-old William Angel in a car crash in Tampa, Florida while driving on the wrong side of the road with twice the legal limit for alcohol in his bloodstream.

Ponce's disappearance provoked a major police search in the United States. He was on Interpol's wanted list and had been the subject of TV program The Hunt. But it was not until Monday night when he was finally discovered thousands of miles from where he was last seen.

Ponces's arrest happened after a police patrol saw the 26-year-old acting in a suspicious manner in the bus station in Almeria, a city in the southeast of Spain.

The police asked him for identification and Ponce presented them with a travel card and a false Mexican passport, each bearing a different name. He was taken to the police station for fingerprints where his true identity was discovered.

Ponce is now facing extradition to the United States. The parents of his victim, who had set up a Facebook page "Find Chris Ponce," posted that his arrest meant it was "a great day." Endit