2 Dead In Banning Shooting Rampage, Suspect In Custody
BANNING (CBSLA.com) — Police on Sunday identified the man suspected of killing two people in a shooting rampage in Banning on Saturday as James Paul Diaz, 34.
Police detailed the man's suspected criminal acts at a 5 p.m. press conference on Saturday, where they said they were dealing with 4 to 5 different crime scenes.
Authorities said they were still trying to gather information about the randomness of the attacks or if the victims were specifically targeted. As they investigation continued ,they believed all the attacks were random.
Police said they first got a call, around 11:35 a.m., saying there were reports of a shooting with a dead man in a car. When police arrived at that location, the 700 block of John Street, they found a deceased man and a wounded female passenger.
The woman was taken to a hospital in an unknown condition.
The suspect reportedly fled the area in a white SUV.
About 10 minutes later, police said they had reports of multiple shots fired in a car-to-car shooting on Nicolette Street.
KCAL9's Brittney Hopper said at that location, a woman suffered minor injuries -- apparently cut by broken glass.
An additional ten minutes later, authorities said there was a report of a man being assaulted -- "multiple times" -- in a parking lot of an AM/PM.
An employee of the store, too shaken to show his face on camera, said the suspect severely beat an elderly man who frequents the store.
"He just came out of nowhere and started beating him up," the employee said, "my co-workers were scared. They didn't know what to do, so they followed regulations. It happened right in front of our door step. It's scary."
Around 12:15 p.m., there were reports of another shooting. This time police said they had reports of a man being found dead inside a white SUV that crashed into a building. Police were investigating if that man was shot before he crashed.
About 15-20 minutes later, there were reports of a man banging on doors -- he said he was looking for his kids -- on American Avenue in Beaumont.
Hopper spoke to a resident of the block.
"My heart goes out to the victims," she said, "I just feel so sorry for the innocent victims."
Around 12:22 p.m., police said a man tried to enter a vehicle who was driving with her two young children on 8th Street in Beaumont.
Police were trying to determine which of these reports were related to the suspect. But Hopper said all witnesses described the same man and the same suspect vehicle.
In Beaumont, Beaumont Police stopped a man in a white SUV who fit the description of the suspect. The man was detained after a weapon was found in his vehicle.
Diaz was arrested for two counts of suspicion of first-degree murder, one count of suspicion of attempted murder, one count of suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of suspicion of shooting at a person from a vehicle and one count of suspicion of shooting at an inhabited vehicle, the Los Angeles Times reported.
(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)