A key suspect in the April killing of 40-year-old garbage truck driver Deivy Carlos Abreu Quezada in Santiago, Dominican Republic, has finally been captured after months on the run, attorneys representing the victim’s family have confirmed. Jhovanny de Jesús Metz Cruz, a suspect widely known by his alias “Macho”, was taken into custody by law enforcement on Jamaican soil after evading Dominican authorities since the violent incident unfolded on April 17.
The deadly attack began when a group of motorcyclists blocked and intercepted the garbage truck Abreu was operating through Santiago’s urban streets, according to official statements from the Dominican Public Prosecutor’s Office. What followed was a high-stakes 23-minute chase that concluded just blocks away from the Santiago Courthouse, in a shocking public display of violence that shook the local community.
Investigators building the case against Metz Cruz allege that he intentionally maneuvered his motorcycle directly into the path of Abreu’s truck, forcing the driver to bring his vehicle to a halt. After stopping the truck, Metz Cruz allegedly joined other attackers in a brutal assault that left Abreu with critical, life-threatening injuries. Though emergency crews rushed the driver to a local medical facility for urgent care, he ultimately succumbed to his wounds.
Abreu, who left behind five children, had only worked as a garbage truck driver for nine months before his death, painting a devastating picture of loss for the working-class family. To date, seven other people linked to the fatal attack have already been taken into custody by Dominican authorities, and a Santiago judge has ordered pretrial preventive detention for all seven co-defendants as the case moves through the court system.
Family attorney José Martínez Brito confirmed that following the arrest, legal teams and law enforcement from both Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are now working through the formal extradition process to transfer Metz Cruz back to the Dominican Republic, where he will answer to formal murder charges connected to Abreu’s death. The long-awaited arrest marks a major breakthrough in an investigation that has held local attention since April, bringing the victim’s family one step closer to seeking justice.