Alleged Gang Members Charged With Murdering Pittsburg Teen Malik Pittman
PITTSBURG (CBS SF/BCN) -- Two men have been charged in connection with the killing of Pittsburg teen Malik Pittman, whose body was found miles away in Salinas on New Year's Eve.
Pittsburg police said Shane Loudon, 20, of Concord, and 22-year-old Steven Falkenstine, of Walnut Creek, have both been charged with murder and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility. They both allegedly have ties to a gang.
Pittman went missing in the early evening hours of Dec. 29 and his body was discovered on the morning of New Year's Eve in Salinas. Police said Pittman suffered several gunshot wounds to his upper body.
Investigators said Pittman apparently met Loudon and Falkenstine for a reason or reasons still unknown. They also don't know the relationship between the three.
But police said Pittman got in the backseat of Falkenstine's car on Dec. 29 and was shot inside the car in the 400 block of East Santa Fe Avenue.
"Several gunshots were heard coming from inside the vehicle," described as a newer gray four-door sedan that then fled with Pittman still inside, police said.
Monterey County Sheriff's deputies contacted Pittsburg police telling them Pittman's body had been located in Salinas.
Pittsburg police were asking the public's assistance as it investigates the case and asks anyone with information to contact the tip-line at (925) 252-4040.