Police say Tyler Sieber was taking photographs of a driver and vehicle when he was shot near the Buford Highway exit.
DEKALB COUNTY, GA — A 45-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Tyler Sieber, a 26-year-old who police say was taking photographs after a traffic confrontation on Interstate 285 in July.
Raul Antonio Escobar-Paz was taken into custody Wednesday at a home in Gwinnett County, nearly two months after Sieber was shot near the Buford Highway exit, according to authorities. DeKalb County deputies and the U.S. Marshals Service participated in the arrest. Escobar-Paz was booked into the DeKalb County Jail and was being held without bond.
Authorities have charged Escobar-Paz with offenses including malice murder, armed robbery, aggravated assault, hit and run and tampering with evidence. The charges are accusations, and the arrest does not establish guilt. Police have not publicly detailed the evidence that led investigators to identify Escobar-Paz as the suspect or explained how they located him at the Gwinnett County residence.
The shooting happened at about 10:30 p.m. July 23 on westbound I-285 near Buford Highway. Officers responding to the highway found Sieber suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He died at the scene, according to police. Investigators described the case as stemming from a traffic confrontation that began with a collision on the interstate.
Sieber’s father, Anton Sieber, told WSB-TV that he and his son had been traveling in separate vehicles after picking up a car when another driver moved between them. Anton Sieber said the vehicle then struck his truck, causing it to spin in interstate traffic. The other vehicle briefly stopped and then drove away, he said.
After determining that his father was not hurt, Tyler Sieber followed the other vehicle, according to his father’s account and later police descriptions of the investigation. Authorities said Tyler was trying to obtain information about the vehicle and its license plate. Investigators said the vehicles eventually stopped near the Buford Highway exit and a confrontation followed.
Police said Tyler Sieber was taking photographs of the other driver and the vehicle when he was shot. Authorities also accuse Escobar-Paz of taking Sieber’s phone before leaving the area. Sieber’s father has said investigators told him his son had caught up with the driver and was documenting the vehicle when the shooting occurred.
Early accounts released during the initial investigation differed on some details surrounding the first collision. Police initially said another vehicle struck Tyler Sieber’s vehicle and that Tyler later rear-ended it near the exit. Subsequent reporting based on Anton Sieber’s account said the other driver struck the father’s vehicle before Tyler followed. Authorities have consistently said the encounter ended with Tyler Sieber being shot and the other driver leaving the scene.
The arrest ended a search that lasted almost two months. Anton Sieber told WSB-TV that his family had repeatedly checked arrest information while waiting for investigators to make a break in the case. He described Tyler as his best friend and said an arrest could not undo the family’s loss.
Escobar-Paz remained in the DeKalb County Jail without bond following his arrest. Authorities had not announced a court schedule or released additional details about the evidence in the case as of Thursday. The prosecution will now move through the court system as the charges against him remain pending.
Author note: Last updated September 10, 2026.