Cart
0
Father Drives Family to Safety With a Bullet Lodged in His Head After Drive-Thru Shooting
A 28-year-old Oregon father was shot in the head while pulling out of an In-N-Out drive-thru with his wife and two young children. He drove them to safety before getting himself to a hospital. Three months later, two suspects are in custody, and a manhunt is underway for a third.
Police are searching for Anthony Taylor-Manriquez, 22, after Marcio Garcia was shot in the head while pulling out of a fast-food drive-thru. (Keizer Police Department)
The windows shattered. Bullets flew through the car. And Marcio Garcia, 28, with a bullet lodged in his head, looked at his wife and two sons and made a decision.
He drove them out.
Gear Spotlight- What Our Readers Are Picking Up
The shooting happened on February 9 at an In-N-Out drive-thru in Keizer, Oregon. Garcia was pulling out with his wife and two children, ages 2 and 7, when gunfire erupted. His family was uninjured. Garcia took a bullet directly to the head.
He did not stop. He did not panic. He drove until his family was safe and then got himself to a hospital.
His wife described it in an online fundraiser afterward.
"In the middle of chaos and fear, while he was injured and in pain, he somehow found the strength to drive us out of the scene to safety," she wrote. "He protected our family before thinking of himself. That is the kind of man and father he is."
Doctors told the family it was nothing short of a miracle. Images posted online showed the bullet that was removed from Garcia's head during surgery. He did not suffer major brain damage and has been recovering at home.
For three months, the people who fired those shots were still free.
That changed this week.
Keizer Police arrested two suspects on Wednesday. Ethan Adrian Armenta-Lagunas, 20, and Gabriel Alex Javier, 18, both of Salem, are now facing charges of first-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, criminal mischief and recklessly endangering another person.
Multiple firearms were recovered from Armenta-Lagunas' apartment during the arrest. Javier was taken into custody later the same day.
If you have followed this far, here is where the case is not yet closed.
A third suspect, 22-year-old Anthony Taylor-Manriquez, remains at large. Keizer Police have identified him as armed and dangerous. The investigation is ongoing and authorities are actively searching for him.
Police are calling on the public to come forward with any information that could help locate Taylor-Manriquez. Anyone with details, surveillance footage or information about his whereabouts is urged to contact the Keizer Police Department immediately.
Two suspects are in a cell. One is still out there.
Garcia survived a bullet to the head. He drove his family to safety. He sat in a hospital while surgeons removed what should have killed him.
The people responsible for putting that bullet in his head are being held accountable one by one.
The manhunt is not over yet.
Editor's Note: The arrest of two suspects in the shooting of Marcio Garcia marks a significant development in a case that drew widespread attention for his extraordinary act of composure and courage. With one suspect still at large, authorities continue to urge anyone with information to come forward as the investigation remains active.
