SAN JOSE — San Jose’s top cop tackled a murder suspect who managed to escape a police holding cell and scale a fence while handcuffed Monday morning, authorities said.

Hector Flores Arias, 26, had been sought for almost six years after he was named a suspect in the May 7, 2009, shooting death of Juan Mendoza, 22, according to San Jose police. Police said Arias had fled to Mexico to evade capture.

San Jose police, working with the FBI and Mexican authorities, recently learned Arias was in San Jose de Gracia, a town east of Guadalajara. Arias was arrested Sunday by Mexican police — biting two officers and trying to attack another in the course of the arrest — and was extradited to San Jose. Once he landed stateside Monday morning, San Jose police transported him to the department before he was set to be booked into Santa Clara County Jail.

Once Arias was placed in a holding cell at the department — in handcuffs — he flipped his hands around from behind his back and somehow escaped through his holding cell door, which should lock automatically when it is closed by officers.

While still cuffed, Arias ran through the department and got outside, scaling a fence and landing in the department’s parking lot for detectives, police said.

As Arias was running across the parking lot, San Jose police Chief Larry Esquivel was pulling up the driveway, heading into work.

Police said Esquivel saw the man running toward him, so he got out of his car and ordered Arias to stop. When Arias continued to run at him, Esquivel tackled him to the ground. Arias jumped back up and headed north on Mission Street toward Guadalupe Parkway. Esquivel ran after him, tackling him to the ground again.

By the second tackle, assisting officers had arrived, and police said Esquivel and another officer were able to once again take Arias into custody.

Esquivel suffered minor injuries in the scuffles, including some tears to his shirt and an abrasion to his elbow.

San Jose police department spokesman Sgt. Enrique Garcia said Esquivel felt he was just doing his job when he went after Arias and that Esquivel knew any other officer would have done the same.

“The chief just went into ‘cop mode’ and took care of business,” Garcia said. “He had no idea the suspect was wanted for murder, but that would not have deterred him anyway. He took on a fleeing suspect and handled the situation like any other officer would.”

“This was a dangerous person, and the chief did what he knew was right,” Garcia added of Esquivel, who is no stranger to danger, having served on the department’s SWAT team — known as MERGE — earlier in his career. “He did what he had to do.”

Arias is being held in Santa Clara County Jail without bail. He is set to appear in court Tuesday at noon.

Contact Katie Nelson at 408-920-5006 and follow her at Twitter.com/katienelson210.