A Columbia man known by police to be armed and dangerous is off the streets today.

Hyler III

Clyde Hyler III, 22, one of CrimeStoppers’ most wanted suspects, is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder in the August killing of Antonio Flores-Ramirez. His bond is set at $1 million.

A Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper stopped Hyler for a traffic violation at 11:49 p.m. yesterday and discovered he had an outstanding warrant for second-degree murder and first-degree robbery. Officers also discovered the vehicle he was driving had been reported stolen in Kansas City, Columbia Police Sgt. Ken Hammond said.

Officers believe Hyler has been traveling back and forth between Kansas City and Columbia.

Police said the murder occurred Aug. 21 after Hyler and Antoine Harris, 31, had arranged to make a drug deal with Flores-Ramirez and two other men at a Quail Drive apartment complex.

Harris later told police that Hyler packaged alfalfa squares to look like bricks of marijuana and that the two men planned to rob the victim, according to a probable cause statement filed in the case. When Hyler and the three potential buyers got into a heated argument, Harris retrieved a gun from Hyler’s vehicle and shot Flores-Ramirez and another victim, police said in the affidavit.

Harris, who remains incarcerated at the Boone County Jail, made incriminating statements to police after the shooting. Hammond said Hyler did not resist arrest but refused to talk to police.

Hyler, a former Douglass High School basketball standout, has been in and out of jail over the past five years for drug possession, theft, trespassing and assault, according to online court records.

Hammond said Columbia police have been receiving tips about Hyler’s whereabouts but weren’t able to locate him before last night. Hammond praised the highway patrol and Boone County Sheriff’s Department for assisting with the ongoing search. "It was a cooperative effort," he said. "We’re glad to have both suspects off the streets."

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