The California Highway Patrol announced Sunday that they have arrested two people suspected to be responsible for the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos.
The suspects have been named as Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Lee Wynne, 23. They were both taken into custody at their home in Costa Mesa. They are expected to be charged with murder, authorities said. Both were being held on $1 million bail and are scheduled to make their first appearance in court on Tuesday, according to Orange County jail records.
The arrests follow a lengthy manhunt conducted by investigators from the Santa Ana Area CHP and the CHP's Border Division Investigative Services Unit.
“This senseless crime tore at the community's heart and brought it together in outrage and sheer determination to find Aiden's killers,'' said Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner.
“The CHP and District Attorney's office have been relentless in the pursuit of justice for Aiden. I congratulate them on these arrests and thank them for their dedication to the people of Orange County.''
“On behalf of Border Division Chief Omar Watson, and the Santa Ana Area, we are deeply grateful for the professionalism and tireless commitment of our investigators who have worked on this case from day one to find those responsible for Aiden's death,'' said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “While these arrests will not ease the pain of a mother's loss, my hope is for the Leos family to have some peace of mind and to rest assured the CHP will work with the Orange County District Attorney to bring justice for Aiden.''
CHP Border Division Chief Watson also thanked the Southern California community for its “indescribable outpouring of concern and hundreds of tips'' that helped investigators find the suspects. “The department has been in regular contact with the victim's family and I assure you they, like us, are committed to seeing justice served,'' Watson said.
Aiden was killed on May 21 while his mother was driving him to kindergarten in Yorba Linda. His mother, Joanna Cloonan, was driving a silver Chevrolet Cruze sedan with her son in the right rear passenger booster seat when a driver opened fire between 7:55 and 8:15 a.m. on the northbound Costa Mesa Freeway between the Garden Grove (22) Freeway and Chapman Avenue.
Tt least one round fatally struck the boy in his right rear passenger child's seat.
Reyes Valdivia and his wife stopped to help when they spotted Cloonan on the freeway shoulder pulling her son out from the passenger side of the car. He said she told them that when she tried to switch lanes to exit, a sedan with a man and woman inside cut her off and she gestured to them and proceeded into the exit lane, which is when the bullet entered the left side of trunk and struck her son.
She called 911 and the boy was rushed to Children's Hospital of Orange County, where he was pronounced dead.
The California Highway Patrol last week released a photo of the suspect vehicle, which appears to be a white Volkswagen Golf Sportswagen with non-tinted windows.
It appears to be a 2018 or 2019 model, but investigators have not been able to obtain a license plate from the snapshot. The suspect vehicle was last seen going eastbound on the Riverside (91) Freeway toward Riverside, said CHP Officer Florentino Olivera.
Funeral services for Aiden were held yesterday Saturday at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda. The service was private, and was attended by family, friends and invited guests, but it will be live-streamed for public viewing at Yorba Linda United Methodist Church.
It was not immediately known who if anyone will claim the $500,000 in reward money that was put up for arrest and prosecution of the suspected killers.
Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Department.