Investigators have connected a 44-year-old man to two separate fatal shootings that occurred last month in El Monte.
A tarp is seen over a car on the 10 Freeway in El Monte on April 11, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
Jorge Rosales of Hemet was arrested on April 15 following a pursuit through several cities after San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a man brandishing a firearm at a residence, according to statements from Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials and the California Highway Patrol.
Rosales, who fled in a silver minivan as deputies arrived on scene, was eventually detained on suspicion of illegally possessing a firearm.
Authorities did not disclose where the pursuit began and ended, or at what time it took place.
That same day, El Monte police had responded to an early morning shooting at the Baldwin Mini Park at 3750 Baldwin Ave., CHP officials said.
The victim, 35-year-old Alejandro Miranda, was found suffering from a gunshot wound and transported to a nearby hospital, where he died 11 days later. During his time in the hospital, Miranda was able to supply detectives with useful information, investigators said.
Officials eventually tied Rosales to the shooting death of a woman whose body was discovered in a Chevy sedan stopped on the shoulder of the eastbound 10 Freeway in El Monte just after 4 a.m. on April 11. The busy thoroughfare was shut down as the scene was processed and didn’t fully reopen until after 1 p.m., creating havoc during the Tuesday morning rush-hour.
The woman was found sitting in the driver’s seat with a gunshot wound in the right side of her head. She was later identified as 36 year-old Christine Ramos, a resident of Rialto.
The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, El Monte Police Department, California Highway Patrol and San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department worked together to identify Rosales as the suspect in both incidents.
Investigators did not say what evidence existed linking Rosales to either crime, or what his relationship to the victims was.
Though Rosales was already in custody, authorities issued an arrest warrant on Monday charging him with two counts of first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, L.A. County sheriff’s deputies said.
He is being held on $6,135,000 bail at the San Bernardino County Jail, pending transfer to Los Angeles County Inmate Reception Center.
Detectives continue to investigate the crimes.