Irving Police officers successfully apprehended a wanted fugitive from Dallas on Saturday, May 17th. 36-year-old Fernando Zapata was located and arrested at an apartment in the 800 block of S. Nursery Rd and booked into the Irving Jail at 1:21 PM.
Zapata was wanted on two outstanding warrants: Failing to Register as a Sex Offender and Assault causing Bodily Injury. His obligation to register as a sex offender in Texas stemmed from a March 2009 conviction for the aggravated sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl, for which he received 10 years of probation/community supervision.
His history of failing to comply with sex offender registration requirements dates back to 2011, when he was convicted for the offense and sentenced to 6 years of probation.
Zapata's criminal record also includes a 2020 conviction for terroristic threats. This charge arose from an incident in July 2020 when Irving Police were called to the 1700 block of Glenwick Lane in South Irving for a disturbance involving brothers. During a verbal argument that escalated into a physical fight, Zapata threatened to retrieve a knife to attack his brother. To prevent the assault, his brother closed and held Zapata's bedroom door from the outside. Zapata responded by stabbing the door from inside. When his brother fled outside, Zapata pursued him with the knife, yelling "I will kill you," according to witnesses. He was subsequently arrested and sentenced to 45 days in county jail.
In a separate incident on September 1, 2022, Zapata was found guilty of assault in a plea deal and received one year of probation.
His most recent charge for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender occurred in April 2022, as he was required to register annually. This violation led to the revocation of his probation for the assault conviction and the issuance of the two warrants for his arrest. Zapata had been evading authorities since that time until his apprehension by Irving Police.
The Irving Police Department has not yet disclosed the specific details of how they located Zapata as this is an ongoing investigation.
