Police Tuesday announced the arrests of two men accused in a Valentine's Day shooting in Pasadena that seriously injured a 10-year-old boy who was playing in front of his home when he was shot.
Pasadena Police Department detectives conducted a months-long investigation that culminated with the arrests of 21-year-old Joseph Mekhi Knowles of Altadena and 22-year-old Tanaj Johnson of Pasadena.
Detectives last Thursday issued search warrants at several Southern California locations and recovered several pieces of evidence allegedly linking Knowles and Johnson to the shooting, and they were arrested and charged on Monday, according to police.
Both men were booked into the Pasadena Police Department Jail. Knowles was being held without bail, while Johnson's bail was set at $4.09 million.
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The two men are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at the Pasadena courthouse on attempted murder and other charges.
Officers were sent to the 300 block of Parke Street about 3 p.m. Feb. 14 on reports of shots fired and found the boy suffering from multiple, potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to a police statement.
The preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects exited a late model, light-colored four-door sedan and fired multiple gunshots, striking Mario Ramirez, then jumped back in the car and sped off.
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The investigation did not reveal any evidence that led investigators to believe the youngster was the intended target of the shooting, police said.
The boy's mother, Gabriela Joya, told the Pasadena Star-News that a bullet barely missed her son's heart, and that he underwent surgeries the day of the shooting. She said her son had just stepped out of the house where his brother, uncle and father were when she heard gunshots.
A GoFundMe page set up to raise money to help the family said the boy would need extensive physical therapy and described him as a fun-loving child who enjoys soccer and basketball. His mother said doctors told her that her son was "very lucky to be alive."
