Suspect arrested for trio of killings in San Pedro, Harbor City in September

Police have arrested a suspect who they believe is responsible for a trio of deadly shootings that happened in Harbor City and San Pedro, which also left a 1-year-old child wounded, in September. 

On Thursday, Los Angeles Police Department officers identified the suspect as Wilmington resident Dion Johnson, 20. He was arrested last Thursday, Jan. 18.

They say that Johnson faces charges of murder and attempted murder for the shootings and he is being held in lieu of a $13.4 million bail. 

According to investigators, the suspect is believed to be responsible for a string of fatal shootings that spanned from Sept. 4, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2023. 

The first shooting, which happened on Sept. 4, left Carlos Loera, 21, and Ashley Guzman, 18, dead in the 1000 block of 253rd Street in Harbor City, police said. 

Investigators say that the shooting occurred a little before 6:40 p.m., when the couple and their one-year-old child were inside of their car when they were approached by the gunman, who opened fire, striking all three. 

While Loera and Guzman died from their injuries, the child was treated at the hospital and is said to have survived the injuries. 

The suspect is also connected to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Joseph Saldana in San Pedro on Sept. 30. 

Saldana was at a family party at a residence in the 1200 block of N. Park Western Drive when the gunman opened fire, killing the teen and wounding three others, all of whom were hospitalized in stable condition after the shooting. 

No further information has yet been provided.