Two males have been arrested in reference to the dying of a person who was fatally shot whereas attempting to cease a catalytic converter theft in Inglewood, authorities mentioned.
Murder detectives with the Inglewood Police Division arrested Wilver Alberto Rabanales, 40, and Jose Christian Saravia Sanchez on Thursday night after executing a search warrant at a motel in Cudahy, authorities mentioned. Sanchez’s age has not been launched.
Each suspects had been booked on the Inglewood jail, police mentioned. Rabanales is being held on $2-million bail and is due in courtroom on Monday, in line with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Division inmate log. Bail and look data for Sanchez couldn’t be instantly established Friday night time.
Juan “Johnny” Sanchez, 48, was shot within the 1000 block of North Chester Avenue in Inglewood round 3:22 a.m. on Feb. 25. He was attempting to stop two males from stealing a neighbor’s catalytic converter when one among them shot him within the chest, police mentioned.
Police launched a seek for the suspects, who had been captured on surveillance digicam fleeing in a gold Toyota Camry with tinted home windows and a sunroof. The division later mentioned that the group offered essential assist in figuring out the 2 suspects.
Juan Sanchez’s household described him as “a loyal husband, a loving father, a proud grandfather, and a cherished good friend to so many” in a GoFundMe marketing campaign, which had raised greater than $44,500 as of Friday.
“He was the form of one who at all times put others earlier than himself, providing a serving to hand, a listening ear, or a smile that might brighten even the darkest days,” the submit states. “His power, knowledge, and generosity had been the inspiration of his household, and his loss leaves a void that may by no means be crammed.”
Catalytic converter theft is a rising downside in Southern California, as thieves goal the emission-control units for high-value metals corresponding to platinum, palladium and rhodium.
Thefts may be troublesome to thwart, because it takes solely minutes to steal the units, making it robust for police to catch folks within the act. And, as soon as taken, the units are practically unattainable to trace to a particular automobile.
To fight the issue, police departments have began internet hosting free occasions the place drivers can get distinctive identification numbers etched into their converters. In 2023, the Los Angeles Metropolis Council voted to make it unlawful to own an unattached catalytic converter with out proof of possession.
By way of the primary half of 2024, 2,113 catalytic converters had been stolen in Los Angeles, in line with knowledge the Los Angeles Police Division launched final yr. The determine doesn’t embrace Inglewood or unincorporated elements of Los Angeles County.
In a single infamous incident, “Normal Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor was fatally shot in downtown Los Angeles final Might as he approached a number of males attempting to take away a catalytic converter from his automobile, police mentioned. Three months later, prosecutors charged 4 males in reference to the crime.
