APD license plate reader leads to arrest of North Carolina murder suspect

Published April 30, 2025 at 2:00PM

Alexandria police cruiser (staff photo by James Jarvis)

A North Carolina murder suspect was recently arrested in Alexandria and has been charged with murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.

The victim, 25-year-old Jose Alexander Lara Hernandez, was shot to death in Charlotte on April 19. Two days later, the Alexandria Police Department was notified by a license plate reader that a car belonging to the suspect, Danny Cardoza Lara, was located in the parking lot of a hotel in the 100 block of S. Bragg Street in the city’s West End.

Lara-Cardoza was found outside his hotel room and arrested, according to a recently released search warrant affidavit.

He will be extradited back to Charlotte, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

About the Author

James Cullum

Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His work includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He's covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.