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Suspect in two California deputy deaths charged with murder, carjacking

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[October 27, 2014]  (Reuters) - A Utah man was charged with carrying out a crime spree in Sacramento that killed two California sheriff's deputies and wounded a third, law enforcement officials said on Saturday.

A fourth victim, a motorist who was shot in the head, remained hospitalized Saturday, officials said.

Marcelo Marquez, 34, of Salt Lake City, was booked into Sacramento County Jail early Saturday and faces two counts of murder, two counts attempted murder and carjacking charges, a sheriff's spokesman said.

The suspect's female companion, Janelle Marquez Monroy, was also arrested and charged with attempted murder and carjacking, according to online jail records.

Marquez had twice been deported to Mexico, in 1997 for a narcotics charge and in 2001 for an unspecified charge, according to Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Federal officials on Saturday issued an immigration detainer, asking that Marquez be transferred to their custody when he is released by local authorities "so ICE can pursue removal."

Marquez was accused of staging a crime spree Friday that stretched from Sacramento to the town of Auburn about 35 miles (56 km) away, prompting a massive, multi-agency police response and forcing the lockdown of schools and businesses.

The incident began in the parking lot of a Motel 6, when veteran Sacramento Deputy Danny Oliver, 47, approached a vehicle considered to be suspicious, said Sacramento County Sheriff Lieutenant R.L. Davis.

Someone inside the car fired multiple rounds at Oliver, who was struck in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center in Sacramento.

After shooting Oliver, Marquez, accompanied by his female associate, carjacked a motorist, shooting him in the head when he resisted, authorities said. The victim, Anthony Holmes, 38, was recovering at U.C. Davis Medical Center, the Sacramento Bee reported.

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The pair then stole a third vehicle, a 2002 red Ford F-150 pickup truck, and are believed to have crossed into neighboring Placer County, shooting two sheriff's deputies there, Davis said.

One of the deputies, 42-year-old Michael David Davis Jr., later died, the sheriff's office said.

A somber procession on Saturday transported Davis' body to a funeral home, according to the department's official Facebook page.

Davis was a 15-year veteran with the department and died 26 years to the day after his father and namesake, Michael David Davis, was killed while on duty as a sheriff's deputy in southern California, officials said.

A third law enforcement officer, Placer Deputy Jeff Davis, was shot in the arm and treated at a local hospital, the department said.

Marquez surrendered around 4 p.m. local time after holing up in a house, the Sacramento sheriff's department said.

Both suspects were to be arraigned this week, Sacramento and Placer officials said.

(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere in Seattle; Additional reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York)

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