SCOTTSDALE - Two men arrested in Mesa are the predators long sought in connection to Scottsdale's "Serial Shooter" murder of Claudia Gutierrez-Cruz and five others Valley-wide, police said Friday.

Dale Hausner, 33, and Samuel Dieteman, 30, were taken into custody late Thursday following tips that led investigators to the men this week. They could be charged with multiple counts of murder and aggravated assault, police said.

Gutierrez-Cruz, 20, was shot to death May 2 while walking home along Thomas Road - a random slaying later linked through a task force of detectives to as many as 36 shootings that have terrorized residents from Scottsdale to Avondale for more than a year.

"Claudia was a very good person; she worked in the community," said Scottsdale Police Chief Alan Rodbell. "There was no reason for anyone to hurt her."

Rodbell praised the ongoing "hard work and partnerships" among police departments and federal law enforcement agencies as the reason the suspects are being investigated.

The next step, Rodbell said, is confirming beyond a reasonable doubt that Hausner and Dieteman are responsible for Gutierrez-Cruz's murder.

Hausner and Dieteman also were linked to two June 8 arson fires at two West Valley Wal-Mart stores, police said.

On her way home

Gutierrez-Cruz moved to the Valley from Puebla, Mexico.

She worked as a bartender's assistant at Barcelona restaurant in north Scottsdale, and was walking home to her east Phoenix apartment from a bus stop at Thomas and Scottsdale roads when she was shot.

Scottsdale detectives had expressed frustration with a lack of witnesses to the murder before Phoenix police announced in June that the case was connected to the Serial Shooter series.

"I'm glad we can put some closure on it for the Cruz family," Rodbell said.

The homicide was the first of two this year in Scottsdale.

Task force lauded

Agencies involved in the Serial Shooter investigation include the Phoenix and Mesa police departments, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Scottsdale contributed one detective to the Serial Shooter task force on a regular basis, in addition to other manpower and resources.

"There is no place like the Phoenix area" for cooperation among police agencies, Rodbell said at a Friday morning press conference, not even in Montgomery County, Va., where he worked for more than 26 years.

Montgomery County was one of several agencies involved in the Washington-area "D.C. Sniper" investigation in 2002. That series of shootings happened shortly after Rodbell took a deputy chief post in Scottsdale in February 2002, though he continued to check in with friends working on the case.

Rodbell and other Scottsdale leaders have stressed the need to maintain those partnerships, as violent crimes such as the Gutierrez-Cruz murder are often connected to other Valley communities.

"There was no jockeying for position, just solid police work," said Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

Federal investigators could not comment Friday on details about the weapon used to kill Gutierrez-Cruz.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms helped Scottsdale and other agencies with ballistics and forensics work, Senior Special Agent Thomas Mangan said.

'Ayudame,' she cried

Gutierrez-Cruz was shot near 61st Place as she was walking westbound to her Phoenix apartment in the 5000 block of Thomas Road.

The gunshot wound was to her left side. Police originally suggested the wound was from a shotgun blast.

Metal pellets and other evidence were impounded by Scottsdale investigators, according to the police report.

Responding officers noted blood stains on the grass near the side of the road.

Gutierrez murmured, "Ayudame," or, "help me," as she crawled toward the middle of the road, police said.

A passing driver called Scottsdale police after spotting her bloodied body sometime after 10 p.m. She died hours later at Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn.

It was not made clear Friday if Hausner, Dieteman - or both men, whom police described as friends - fired the fatal shot at Gutierrez-Cruz.