Los Angeles - Four people were shot dead and two
wounded on Thursday in a shooting spree that spread across four
three Los Angeles neighbourhoods and touched off a 12-hour
manhunt before police tackled and arrested an armed suspect.
A Los Angeles police spokesman identified the suspect as
Gerry Zaragoza, 26, and said he was held on pending murder
charges in the shooting deaths of his father and brother, and
the wounding of his mother with a gun shot. The spokesman did
not identify the victims.
The shooting spree started at an apartment the suspect
shared with his parents at about 2 a.m. on Thursday in LA's
Canoga Park, police said.
Police said the suspect also allegedly shot and killed a
woman he knew at a gas station in North Hollywood about 45
minutes later, but did not characterize their relationship.
Some media referred to her as a former girlfriend, others as
an acquaintance.
At the same time, he allegedly shot and wounded a gas
station clerk. The man was shot five times and was in critical
condition, the Los Angeles Times and other media reported.
Authorities have arrested Gerry Dean Zaragoza, accused of shooting multiple people, in two attacks in Los Angeles that officials say took the lives of two of his family members and an acquaintance, police said. Picture: Los Angeles Police Department via AP
Later, at about 7:45 a.m., police said Zaragoza allegedly
shot a gardener he tried to rob at an ATM machine. And at about
1 p.m. he allegedly shot and killed a man on a bus in the Van
Nuys neighborhood, police said.
Media reports say he did not know the man on the bus and
that the shooting appeared to be random.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Zaragoza was arrested in
Canoga Park after being tackled by plain clothes officers about
2:30 p.m. Police used a taser to subdue him.
An LAPD spokesman had no information on any bond set for
Zaragoza, but said he remained in police custody early Friday.
It was unclear if he had an attorney.