Gary Lawson laughs as he's arrested after more than 30 years
Lawson, 63, was found guilty of attempted second degree murder in 1991 and disappeared for over three decades. (Credit: Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office)
A law enforcement officer was heard saying, "Hey, Greg," while escorting a captured fugitive who had been on the run using a dead man's ID for 32 years.
Greg Lawson, 63, was convicted in 1991 for nearly killing Seth Garlington during a fierce "gun battle" in Ringgold, Louisiana, on April 24, 1990.
A jury was coming back with a guilty verdict against Lawson on a dozen charges, including attempted murder, but he fled the courtroom before the jury read its verdict.
He eluded law enforcement for over three decades until last week, when the FBI received a tip that led to his arrest on Sept. 19 in Huatulco, Mexico.
Greg Lawson, 63, is seen laughing as he was arrested after 32 years on the run. He was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder in 1991 and disappeared for over three decades. (FBI New Orleans/Twitter and Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office)
Lawson was surrounded by law enforcement as he came off the plane in a video posted by FBI New Orleans on X, formerly Twitter.
In the video, he was seen laughing and joking before he was cuffed. He even patted one agent on the shoulder.
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"The three-decades-long search for a man convicted of attempted murder is over, thanks to a tip received by #FBINewOrleans," the FBI wrote in the X post. "This morning, 63-year-old Greg Lawson is back in a Louisiana jail awaiting action by Bienville Parish authorities."
He was booked into the Claiborne Parish Detention Center in Louisiana on Sept. 20, according to jail records.
Greg Lawson, center, is seen in a video posted by FBI New Orleans tapping a law enforcement agent on the shoulder after he was captured following 32 years on the run. (FBI New Orleans/Twitter and Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office)
Mexican authorities on how he was found
Before his arrest, Mexican authorities said they found Lawson while investigating a criminal complaint about a man in Puerto Escondido, in the municipality of San Pedro Mixtepec, according to a translated Facebook post by the Prosecutor General of the State of Oaxaca (FGEO) in Mexico.
Lawson was living on the Oaxaca coast under the name L.C.D., which is allegedly the ID of a dead person in Alabama, Mexican authorities said.
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During his arrest, they learned his real identity and discovered he was wanted by the FBI.
"After the arrest, the FGEO gave part to FBI agents, as well as staff from the National Institute of Migration (INM), to carry out the corresponding procedures, and the transfer to the city of Oaxaca to begin the extradition procedures to the United States," Mexican authorities said.
Greg Lawson was taken into custody after 32 years on the run. (FBI New Orleans/Twitter and Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office)
Lawson's back story
Lawson was 31 when he went on the run in 1991 for what was considered at the time one of the worst shootouts in Ringgold.
Garlington was shot but survived. He didn't respond to Fox News Digital's calls and email for comment.
Greg Lawson's original mugshot when he was 31 and convicted of second-degree attempted murder in 1991, among other charges, before fleeing for 32 years. (Bienville Parish Sheriff's Office)
The two knew each other from the neighborhood, and Lawson was known for his temper, according to a February 2007 report by local news outlet KSLA, after the FBI offered a $10,000 reward.
A fistfight over stolen guns escalated to a shootout, Lawson's former friend, Ryanie Evans, told KSLA in the 2007 report.
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"They couldn't settle things with their hands, so they brought out the guns," Evans said. "He (Lawson) reveled in having some sort of controversy going all the time, he thrived on that."
As the jury came back with a guilty verdict, he fled the courtroom and vanished like a ghost, only leaving his truck behind.
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"Throughout the years, the FBI ran out numerous leads across the United States, based on various tips and alleged sightings," the FBI said in a statement. "From the beginning, the FBI suspected Lawson had fled to Mexico."
