A fugitive murder suspect was arrested in Bellingham on Saturday, Feb. 26, after a Whatcom Transportation Authority driver spotted the suspect on a bus.

Officers from the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Border Patrol alerted Bellingham Police that Johnny Lewis Jr., 43, likely would attempt to enter Canada by either train or bus,Bellingham Police spokesman Mark Young said. Lewis is believed to have fled Dallas County, Texas, following the murder of a 2-year-old girl in Duncanville, Texas, on Feb. 20.

Bellingham Police were provided a detailed physical description of Lewis and shared that information with local taxi and bus drivers.

At 1:13 p.m. Saturday, a WTA bus driver called Bellingham Police by cell phone to say that a person matching Lewis’ description had just departed his bus at D and West Holly Streets, Young said.

When several officers approached Lewis, he ran and was chased for about two minutes before officers detained him, Young said. Lewis initially refused to give his real name; he offered an alias with no supporting identification. Officers identified him by using a recent photograph provided by federal authorities. Lewis was booked into Whatcom County Jail, where he admitted to corrections officers that he was Johnny Lewis Jr., Young said.

Lewis is being held on a no-bail fugitive warrant out of Texas on suspicion of capital murder.