Family, friends react to arrests made in robberies and deadly shootings at SoCal 7-Elevens
While the two suspects arrested in the string of robberies and deadly shootings at Southland 7-Elevens are behind bars, many people said it still doesn't take away from the pain and terror the men caused.
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A new sign at a memorial outside a 7-Eleven store in Brea read "They Got Them!! Matt RIP" for 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, who was shot and killed while working his overnight shift at the store.
Friends and family of Hirsch came to pay their respects one final time before his memorial outside the Brea store is taken down. Chris Anderson said Hirsch was from his neighborhood and was a good friend.
"These are just some pictures that we had of Matt that we thought...we wanted to give him a face," Anderson said. "We wanted people to know who he was, how beautiful his smile was to match his beautiful personality."
Friday, police arrested 20-year-old Malike Patt and 44-year-old Jason Payne in connection to killing Hirsch and gunning down another man, along with hurting three others during a violent crime spree at six 7-Eleven stores and a donut shop.
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It happened within a five hour time span early Monday in Riverside, Ontario, Upland, Brea, Santa Ana and La Habra.
"No one wins here. For the suspects' families, they're going to...their lives going to be in turmoil, you know. For all of us who knew Matt, we're never going to be okay," Anderson said.
Patt and Payne are also suspected of four more robberies and another fatal shooting in the San Fernando Valley. Detectives said the masked shooter captured on security video in one of those incidents was Patt.
A witness to the incident at a La Habra 7-Eleven said it was Patt who gave him $5 moments before he robbed that store. The witness requested CBSLA not show his face or reveal his identity out of fear for his safety.
"I hear him tell the clerk to get on the floor, so I went into the freezer and called 911," the witness said.
He added that the morning it all happened plays in his mind continually, but that for now he's relieved that Patt is locked up and can't hurt anyone else.
"I'm just glad he's gone. I'm glad he's caught because those people didn't deserve to die. Nobody did nothing to him, the witness said.
Both the suspects could face charges as early as Monday, and the Orange County District Attorney's Office said those charges could include murder, attempted murder and robbery.