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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A man whom police believe is responsible for killing three people and wounding five others, including a 1-year-old boy, in shootings in the Harbor City, San Pedro and Wilmington areas was in custody Thursday.
Dion Johnson, 20, of Wilmington, was arrested last Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department, which held a news conference Thursday morning at the Los Angeles Police Department's Harbor Area Station.
Charges of murder and attempted murder have been filed against Johnson, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. Johnson was being held on $13,4 million bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
According to police, Johnson is believed responsible for the following crimes:
-- On Sept. 4, 2023, Carlos Loera, 21, and Ashley Guzman, 18, were shot and killed in the 1000 block of 253rd Street in Harbor City. Their 1-year- old child was also struck by the gunfire but survived his injuries.
According to police, the shooting occurred at 6:37 p.m. that day when a gunman approached a vehicle occupied by the three victims and fired several shots at them. Loera died at the scene and Guzman died at a hospital. The child was treated at a hospital and released to family members.
-- On Sept. 30, 2023, Joseph Saldana, 17, was shot and killed outside a residence in the 1200 block of North Park Western Drive in San Pedro. According to police, Saldana was shot about 11:30 p.m. that day outside a house party at the residence.
Saldana was with three other people when one or more suspects approached them on foot and shot them, the LAPD reported.
Saldana was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victims, apparently in their early 20s, were hospitalized in stable condition, according to police.
-- And on Oct. 2, 2023, a man was shot and seriously wounded in Wilmington.
Anyone with more information on the case was urged to call LAPD South Bureau Homicide Division detectives at 323-786-5100, or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS, or use the website www.lacrimestoppers.org.