Six gang members believed to have been responsible for a weekend killing in Pasadena and a double murder in Rancho Palos Verdes have been arrested, authorities announced Wednesday.
The group was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles for the July 22 killing of 32-year-old Jessie Munoz, who was found shot in a vehicle he was driving that crashed on Angeles Crest Highway near mile marker 28.36 after an apparent robbery, Pasadena Police Department Lt. Keith Gomez said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.
Gomez added that his agency believes the same group is connected to the Rancho Palos Verdes killing, as well as several robberies in Los Angeles County. However, he would not elaborate on the connection.
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Detectives Monday identified two suspects and a suspect vehicle in Munoz’s killing. On Tuesday night, the group of five men and one woman was arrested in the vehicle during a police operation, Gomez said. In the vehicle, police found two handguns and two rifles.
Gomez called the group “ruthless, violent,” and said it appears they had a planned mode of attack.
The gang members apparently targeted victims in scenic turnouts or areas that were “somewhat desolate” with poor cellphone signal, in most cases the victims were distracted when assaulted, Gomez said.
The victims in the Rancho Palos Verdes murders were identified as Jorge Ramos, 36, and Taylor Raven Whittaker, 26.
They were found in a bullet-riddled car in a parking lot overlooking the ocean in Rancho Palos Verdes. Multiple shots were fired at close range, detectives said.
