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View Winners → Crime Mar 25, 2023
Seized firearms. | Photo courtesy of LAPD
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Gun violence is a fact of life in Los Angeles County, and a number of shooting-related incidents that occurred in the last seven days confirmed that troubling reality.
Motorist found shot dead at end of high-speed chase
Authorities are piecing together clues Saturday after a high-speed freeway chase ended with a crash on Melrose Avenue, where officers arrested a fleeing suspect and discovered the motorist shot dead and a handgun on his lap.
Officers on a routine patrol driving northbound on the Hollywood (101) Freeway, just south of Cesar Chavez Avenue, spotted a black Infiniti speed pass them at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, triggering a pursuit, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The suspect’s vehicle continued speeding northbound and exited on Melrose Avenue.
“The pursuit traversed several city streets and our officers briefly lost sight of the Infiniti,” the CHP said. “At approximately 3:32 a.m., they discovered the Infiniti had collided with several parked vehicles on Melrose Avenue, west of Commonwealth Avenue.”
A passenger from the car was seen fleeing the location on foot as officers were approaching the crash. He was later apprehended. The officers then came upon the motorist, who was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head and had a gun on his lap, officials said.
A representative from the Los Angeles County coroner’s office was called to the location at 7:49 a.m.
The suspect was identified as Angel Anthony Aguiniga, 20, of Lynwood, who was arrested on suspicion of resisting arrest.
The CHP urged anyone with information about the chase or the shooting to call them at 323-644-9550. Tipsters can also contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or lacrimestoppers.org.
Lancaster shooting leaves one man dead
A man was shot to death in Lancaster and Saturday detectives were continuing their investigation into his death.
Deputies from the Lancaster Station of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to an assault with a deadly weapon call at approximately 7:05 p.m. Friday on the 800 block of W. Avenue I and Fern Avenue where they found the victim suffering from gunshot wounds to the torso, according to Lt. Patricia Thomas of the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Anyone with information about this shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
Shooting in Lynwood leaves Uber driver dead; 2 suspects sought
A man working as an Uber driver was fatally shot Friday in Lynwood by one of two passengers, who fled and were being sought, authorities said.
Deputies were called at 1:33 a.m. to a 7-Eleven parking lot in the 2800 block of Imperial Highway west of State Street where they found the victim, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
The victim’s name was not immediately released by authorities, but his wife identified him as Aaron Orozco, 38.
“I’m still in shock,” his wife, Sandra Medina, told KTLA5 at the shooting scene. “I can’t believe this happened to our family. I just don’t know how to react right now, really. It’s just so hard.”
Orozco was a father of a 9-year-old son and a 3-year-old daughter. He also served in the Marine Corps.
“During the initial investigation, deputies learned the victim was working as a rideshare driver and had picked up two male … adults,” a sheriff’s statement said.
“During the duration of the rideshare, the victim stopped his vehicle in the parking lot of the indicated location,” the statement said. “The victim and the two passengers were then involved in a physical altercation, at which time, one suspect produced an unknown firearm and shot the victim.
“The suspects then fled the scene in the victim’s vehicle,” the statement said. “The abandoned vehicle was located a short distance from the location by Century Station deputies.”
A Gofundme account established for the family had raised more than $3,700 by Friday afternoon. The account is at www.gofundme.com/f/beloved-husband-and-father-aaron-orozco.
Anyone with information about the shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
CHP seeks public’s help catching road rage shooter
California Highway Patrol investigators Thursday asked for the public’s help identifying a suspect in a road-rage shooting on the San Diego (405) Freeway in Fountain Valley this week.
Police were called at 4:55 p.m. Tuesday about the shooting in the northbound lanes at the Euclid Street exit, according to CHP Officer Mitch Smith.
A victim in a white 2015 Hyundai Sonata sedan sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the shooting, Smith said.
Police were working to identify the make and model of the suspect vehicle, Smith said. Investigators believe it is a black, early 2000s sedan. The driver was male and there was a male passenger as well, Smith added.
Anyone with information helpful to police was asked to call 714-622-3600. Investigators were looking for witnesses or anyone who has helpful dash-cam video.
Man arrested in connection with shooting at San Pedro Beach
A man was in custody Wednesday in a shooting at Royal Palms Beach in San Pedro that left himself and four other men injured and prompted the implementation of restricted hours at the seaside location.
The shooting occurred around 5:45 p.m. on March 4 at Paseo Del Mar and Graysby Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
Jose Ortega, 22, was arrested five days later in Orange County, and was booked on suspicion of attempted murder and other crimes, the LAPD reported. Ortega was being held without bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Authorities held a Wednesday morning news conference at which police said Ortega, who went to the hospital on his own, was one of those wounded in the shooting.
“Ultimately what we learned is that our fifth victim who showed up at the hospital was actually our suspect who perpetrated the shooting,” said LAPD Capt. Brent McGuyre, in remarks published by KCAL9. “Through our investigation we determined that during the altercation the suspect was struck by one of the rounds from potentially his own handgun.”
On the day of the shooting, several groups of people were gathered at the beach, when two of the groups became involved in a “verbal and physical altercation that ultimately led to a shooting where five individuals were struck by gunfire,” the LAPD said. All five survived.
Following the shooting, Los Angeles City Councilman Tim McOsker and LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced that the beach would close at 4:30 p.m. Fridays through Sundays until further notice.
The beach will continue to close at dusk Mondays through Thursdays, and all closing times also apply to the beach parking lot. Hahn and McOsker said there have been previous concerning altercations at the beach.
“We need to balance preserving access to this beach with the demands of public safety,” Hahn said in a statement announcing the earlier closing times. “This shooting was an escalation of a series of problems we have had at Royal Palms. Closing the beach early on weekends is going to help us prevent another tragedy while we work with law enforcement on a long-term strategy.”
The shooting occurred just hours after a police gun buyback event in the San Pedro area.
Man shot to death in Altadena
A man was fatally shot Wednesday in Altadena.
Deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were called at 2:34 a.m. to the 700 block West Owen Court were they found the victim, said Lt. Daniel Vizcarra.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Anyone with information about this shooting was asked to call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or sent to lacrimestoppers.org.
Coroner ID’s man, teen shot to death near pool at Newhall apartment complex
A Santa Clarita man and a 16-year-old Valencia boy were identified Sunday as the victims found shot to death at the pool of a Newhall apartment complex.
Brian Chevez was 25 years old and Cameron Stokes was the juvenile victim, according to the coroner’s office.
Authorities were notified at 10:50 a.m. Saturday of a shooting at the Village Apartment Homes at 23700 Valle del Oro, just north of Newhall Avenue, homicide Lt. Hugo Reynaga of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told reporters at the scene.
Both victims suffered gunshot wounds to their upper bodies and were pronounced dead at the scene, Reynaga said.
Witnesses saw a man reach over the pool fence and fire shots before running toward the apartment complex parking lot, he said.
Deputies stopped a white vehicle matching the description given by witnesses within minutes and detained two young men inside as “persons of interest,” Reynaga said. Their identities were not revealed.
Early investigation suggested the shooting may be gang-related, he said.
KeyNews.tv reported that county paramedics dispatched to the scene arrived to find one person on the floor of a community pool and the other victim lying on a pool chair.
The sheriff’s Homicide Bureau urged anyone with information about the deaths to call them at 323-890-5500. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website lacrimestoppers.org.
