Matthew R. Molsen United States Attorney for the District of Nebraska | U.S. Attorney for the District of Nebraska
Michael Alexander Ayala-Ramirez, a 20-year-old from El Salvador, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for possessing firearms as a prohibited person. The sentencing took place on May 8, 2025, in Lincoln, Nebraska. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis also ordered Ayala-Ramirez to serve three years of supervised release after his imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case dates back to July 4, 2024, when a pickup truck was reported stolen from Denver International Airport. Two days later, an Ogallala police officer identified the stolen vehicle and attempted contact with it. Michael Ayala-Ramirez was driving the truck accompanied by codefendants Pablo Escobar-Alas and Selvin Escobar-Rivera. A high-speed chase ensued across multiple counties involving several law enforcement agencies until stop sticks were deployed successfully near Deuel and Keith County line.
Ayala-Ramirez and Escobar-Alas exited the vehicle carrying bags that contained several firearms: a Smith & Wesson pistol reported stolen, a Sig Sauer pistol, a Glock pistol, and a Del Ton DTI-15 rifle. After briefly hiding under another vehicle at a farmyard where the truck ended up in a ditch, they stole another pickup truck leading to another high-speed chase before their arrest following another successful deployment of stop sticks.
Escobar-Rivera fled on foot during the initial stop but was later arrested with another Smith & Wesson pistol found where he had been sitting in the first stolen truck's backseat. This firearm was also reported stolen.
All three defendants have previously been deported without permission to return to the United States. Cases for Pablo Escobar-Alas and Selvin Escobar-Rivera remain active and pending.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Nebraska State Patrol, Deuel County Sheriff's Office, Ogallala Police Department, and Denver Police Department.
