San Marcos manhunt ends in arrest of Texas most wanted fugitive

SAN MARCOS, Texas - A manhunt in a San Marcos neighborhood prompted a shelter in place Monday. 

It ended with the arrest of one of Texas’ most wanted fugitives.

PREVIOUS REPORTING: San Marcos shelter-in-place lifted after U.S. Marshals arrest wanted fugitive

Local perspective:

A woman who lives on Harper Drive in San Marcos said she watched as everything played out on her street.

"The choppers were above us and just, you know, it was a crazy scene and more cars and more cars kept showing up, and they had the house surrounded," the woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said.

U.S. Marshals, San Marcos SWAT, Austin Police Air and K-9 flooded the area. Neighbors were told to get inside.

"In the midst of all this going down, they actually told us that we needed to go inside because they were expecting possibly a shootout," the woman said.

While residents on Harper Drive watched the search from their windows, others followed it from their phones. Miguel G. said he started seeing posts about police activity on social media and the street being talked about was one he knows well.

"My mother and dad live on Harper Drive, so it was of particular importance for me to make sure that they were safe and checking with them, they were fine, thankfully. But it was, I was pressing my Facebook every couple of minutes to look for the next update that would come through official channels," Miguel G. said.

Those official updates soon included a shelter-in-place order and an emergency alert sent to people in the area. Authorities warned they were searching for a man believed to be armed. Just before 7:00 p.m., officials announced the suspect had been taken into custody.

"I'm glad he's in custody. I'm also glad there was no incident. I think that's always a fear," Miguel G. said.

Dig deeper:

27-year-old Dejon Darnell Holland was arrested on July 20. He had previously been on Texas DPS’s 10 most wanted fugitives list.

Records show Holland was previously convicted of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon and Possession of a Controlled Substance. 

Bexar County court records revealed that back in 2020, he punched a woman in the face while holding a knife and also threatened to shoot up the apartment. Holland received probation, then violated it, and was sent to prison.

In May 2025, Holland was released on parole with an ankle monitor. Texas DPS said about four months ago, he cut off his ankle monitor and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Holland is now in the Hays County Jail and charged with violation of parole, evading arrest with a vehicle, and reckless driving. 

Crime and Public SafetySan MarcosCrimeWatch