Man accused of fatally shooting motorist on 10 Freeway and man in El Monte, CHP says
Authorities have identified a man they say fatally shot a motorist on the 10 Freeway and a man in El Monte last month.
Jorge Octavio Rosales, 44, was charged Monday in a felony arrest warrant with two counts of murder, one count of assault with a firearm and one count of unlawful firearm activity, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Morales has been in custody in a San Bernardino County jail since April 15, when he was arrested after a 45-minute pursuit.
In the days before Rosales’ arrest, authorities said they believe he killed Christine Ramos and Alejandro Miranda in separate attacks.
“We don’t have a pattern,” said Sgt. José Nuñez, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. “There is no indication they were connected or knew each other.”
The first attack occurred just after 4 a.m. on April 11 on the eastbound 10 Freeway in El Monte.
According to CHP officials, a tow truck driver saw a white Chevy Malibu on the shoulder of the freeway, east of Peck Road, and pulled to the side to assist the driver. When the tow truck driver approached the vehicle he saw Ramos, who appeared to be unconscious in the driver’s seat, and called 911.
Officers arrived and discovered Ramos, a 36-year-old Rialto resident, dead from a gunshot wound to the head, Nuñez said.
Investigators think her car was in motion and hit the freeway sound wall because they found damage on the body of the vehicle, he said.
In the early hours of April 15, El Monte police received a report of a shooting at the Baldwin Mini Park in the 3700 block of Baldwin Avenue. When officers arrived, they found Miranda, 35, suffering from a gunshot wound. Miranda was hospitalized and died 11 days later.
Hours after the shooting, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department got a report of a man with gun in a silver Town & County van, said Cindy Bachman, a department spokeswoman.
When deputies arrived to the 9500 block of Alder Avenue in Fontana, they tried pull over the driver, later identified as Rosales, she said. Rosales drove off and led deputies on long pursuit that ended on the westbound 10 Freeway at Euclid Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga.
Rosales, a Hemet resident, was taken into custody. A handgun was found at the scene, Bachman said.
Although authorities have not provided details on how they linked Rosales to the shootings, Nuñez said, Miranda provided “useful investigative information” before he died.
Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA
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