UPDATE: Murder suspect still on the run

August 19, 2016 6:20 pm

PROVIDENCE, R.I – Police are searching for 36-year-old Pedro Torres of Puerto Rico wanted for the murder of three people in that country. He was last spotted in Providence Friday afternoon and is described as armed and dangerous.

"I think you’re dealing with about as dangerous a person as you are going to see anywhere," said Major Joseph Philbin of the Rhode Island State Police.

Around 12:30 pm three officers on the Violent Fugitive Task Force spotted Torres on Goddard Street.

"He’s a career criminal. Even undercover he knows when there’s a police officer around and he immediately got in his car and fled the scene at a high rate of speed,” said Philbin.

After fleeing in his vehicle, he got a flat fire on Charles Street, causing the 36-year-old to run through the streets of Providence trying to evade police. He was soon spotted near the Department of Health, the Marriott and even the parking lot of ABC 6.

"There were US Marshals here with the K9 units and they were searching throughout the area and we all kind of scurried into the building we were told to at that point stay in the building,” said a Delta Dental employee.

75 to 100 officers cordoned off a 4 block radius. Police clearly seen swarming the streets, guns blazed.

Philbin says they have surveillance video of Torres being picked up by an unknown suspect. It’s not clear at this point if he was able to get out of the city.

"We felt we had it surrounded but he might have gotten out before we had it cordoned off,” said Philbin.

Torres was originally arrested for those murders last July here in Providence. Soon after he was sent back to Puerto Rico. It’s not clear at this point why he was yet out of police custody there.

If you see Torres, do not approach and immediately call 911.