CNN — Two men have been arrested in connection with a string of shootings over a few hours this week that left four people dead, including a minor, in southeast Los Angeles County, law enforcement officials said.
The killings – which happened overnight Sunday into Monday – appear to be a “random murder spree,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Capt. Andrew Meyer said at a news conference Tuesday.
Investigators were able to connect the incidents because the same Honda Pilot vehicle was seen near each crime scene, authorities said. All were reported between 10:30 p.m. Sunday and 1:55 a.m. Monday, Meyer said.
Authorities believe the suspects, 42-year-old Gary Garcia and 20-year-old Timberland Wayne McKneely, are gang members, Meyer said, but did not elaborate on their alleged affiliations. It does not appear they knew the victims, Meyer added.
Garcia has an “extensive criminal history” while McKneely has none, Meyer said. Jail records show they were being held on an unspecified felony charge. CNN is attempting to identify the suspects’ legal representation.
Investigators believe there may be one additional man involved in the shootings who has not been taken into custody, authorities said.
Two of the victims, Kevin Parada, 24, and 14-year-old Javier Pedraza Jr., have been identified by the county medical examiner’s office.
Another teenager was wounded in the shooting that killed Pedraza, and is now in stable condition, Meyer said.
How the killings unfolded
- Officers who responded to reports of shots fired in the city of Bell around 10:30 p.m. Sunday found a Hispanic man who had been shot and was unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Meyer said. Another adult male at the scene was not injured, Meyer added.
- At 12:04 a.m. Monday, officers were called to a parking lot on East Florence Avenue in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County. They found a Hispanic man who had been shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Meyer said.
- Just 12 minutes later, at 12:16 a.m., officers responded to a call in the city of Cudahy and found two minors, both male and Hispanic, who had both been shot. One was pronounced dead at the scene and the other was taken to a local hospital and is now in stable condition, Meyer said.
- Around 1:55 a.m., in the nearby city of Huntington Park, an officer on patrol discovered someone lying in the street – a Hispanic man who had been shot. He, too, was pronounced dead at the scene, Meyer said.
Officers from different departments who were investigating the killings communicated with each other and found the Honda Pilot was caught on surveillance footage at the scene of each shooting, Meyer said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department identified the license plate for the car and alerted local law enforcement, he added. A San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department deputy spotted the car around 4 p.m. Monday and conducted a traffic stop which led to one of the suspects being arrested.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, who represents the area where the shootings happened, described them as a “rampage” that shook the community.
“It really put everybody on edge, everyone was frightened,” she said.
