Ike Souzer: Dangerous convict who'd escaped from Orange County found in Mexico

Escaped convict captured in Mexico

A week-long manhunt is over after Ike Souzer, an "extremely dangerous and violent criminal" was arrested in Mexico after he walked away from a halfway house in Santa Ana.

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. - A man described as "an extremely dangerous and violent criminal" was arrested in Mexico, a week after he walked away from a Santa Ana halfway house. It was the second time he'd escaped supervised custody in as many years.

Ike Souzer was arrested in Rosarito, Mexico, Wednesday by Border Patrol agents and Mexican authorities, the Orange County District Attorney's Office announced.

Souzer was released from custody on March 20. According to the DA's office, he'd pleaded guilty to felony vandalism and was sentenced to 90 days in jail and two years of probation. Later that day, an advocacy group brought Sauzer to a halfway house. "Once he arrived at the house, he left and never returned," the DA's office said, in a statement.

Escaped convict arrested in Mexico

Ike Souzer was arrested in Mexico a week after police said he walked away from a Santa Ana halfway house. Nearly two years ago to the day, he did the exact same thing.

According to prosecutors, Souzer has a lengthy criminal history, including stabbing his mother to death when he was just 13 years old.

The OC DA's office said that last Wednesday's sentence was the latest in the long line of "breaks" judges had given Souzer over the years, including reduced charges in 2021 after Souzer attacked three correctional officers, and a split sentence in 2023, when Souzer was found to have a shank while in jail.

"My prosecutors have spent years and years trying to do everything they can to keep this violent criminal behind bars, and at every turn, the very judges who are elected to protect public safety have done little to do so and instead have given him break after break after break," Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said. "This is not someone who deserves a break; he has turned every opportunity to turn over a new leaf into a new opportunity to break the law and defy law enforcement. He did not simply walk away and forget to check in with his probation officer. The second he was out of custody, he set a plan in motion to flee to a foreign country in yet another attempt to escape the consequences of his actions."

Almost exactly two years ago, nearly the same exact thing happened. In April 2022, Souzer escaped Project Kinship's Santa Ana headquarters despite wearing an ankle monitor. Authorities then arrested him on Easter Sunday 2022.