3rd suspect arrested for "random murder spree" in East LA County
A third suspect was arrested in connection with a shooting spree that left four dead within a 5-mile radius in Los Angeles County.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said they arrested an unidentified juvenile suspect Thursday night in Compton. No other details were released.
The juvenile's case will be presented to the District Attorney's Office for consideration of charges, according to LASD. The juvenile's exact alleged role in the shootings was unclear.
Gary Garcia Jr., 42, and Timberland Wayne McKneely, 20, were the other suspects arrested and charged in the shootings.
The shootings took place within a few hours of each other in Bell, Florence-Firestone, Cudahy and Huntington Park. Authorities said the victims did not appear to be targeted.
"It appears this was a random murder spree, however, homicide investigators have not ruled anything out," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Capt. Andrew Meyer said.
"There may be other incidents, but at this time we don't have any information indicating that." Meyer said.
A red Honda Pilot, seen in security footage from each shooting site, linked the crimes together and led to the arrests of 42-year-old Gary Garcia and Timberland Wayne McKneely, 20.
Investigators said they pulled over the suspects' vehicle in San Bernardino and arrested the driver. After, they served a search warrant in Compton and arrested the second suspect.
The first shooting was reported to the Bell Police Department at about 10:30 p.m. Sunday, according to LASD. Officers found Kevin Parada, 24 in the 6500 block of Bear Avenue near the Martha Escutia Primary Center. Paramedics pronounced Parada dead shortly after arriving at the scene. A second man was also shot at the scene, but not injured. The death forced school officials to close the campus until Tuesday.
"We take the safety of our students very seriously," officials wrote in a statement.
The second shooting was reported around 12:04 a.m. Monday in the 1500 block East Florence Avenue, a shopping center parking lot, about 3 miles away from the Bell crime scene. Deputies said they found the victim and he was declared dead at the scene.
Nearly 10 minutes later around 12:16 a.m. and about 4 miles away, another set of shootings occurred outside the Ellen Ochoa Learning Center in Cudahy.
Deputies discovered two teens with gunshot wounds. Paramedics treated both of the boys on the street. One of them, 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr. died at the scene. The second teen was rushed to a local hospital and is in stable condition.
Investigators were alerted to the final shooting a little after 1:55 a.m. when an officer from the Huntington Park Police Department on patrol, discovered a man lying in the 6300 block of Sante Fe Avenue, about 3 miles away from the Ellen Ochoa Learning Center.
He died at the scene from a gunshot wound shortly after.
"On behalf of the city of Cudahy -- Cudahy is a small city, it's only about 1.23 square miles with a population of about 23,000, so something like this where two juveniles get shot, ultimately one deceased, hits the community very hard," Sheriff's Department Capt. Brandon Dean said.
During a Thursday afternoon news conference, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced the two suspects have each been charged with four counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, and he also said he has requested no bail for both.
Los Angeles Supervisor Janice Hahn said during the Thursday news conference announcing the charges, that the last four days have been painful for the southeast L.A. community.
Families are grieving the loss of four innocent lives taken so violently in these drive-by shootings … The communities are still shaken by the terror created by this senseless rampage," Hahn said.
Gascon said it is still an ongoing investigation and anyone with information should call (323) 890-5500. Anonymous tips may be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477 or through their website.