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A shooting that left one man dead last night in a Santa Monica park led to the arrest of multiple suspects. At around 8:52 p.m. last night, two suspects approached and began shooting at a group of four people in Virginia Park on Pico Boulevard, a few blocks from Santa Monica College. Three people escaped safely, but 20-year-old Richard Juarez was killed. The Santa Monica Police Department this afternoon announced that four suspects are in custody. A police sergeant driving on the same block at the time heard the shots and saw two possible suspects running from park to a vehicle. The sergeant drove behind the vehicle and the two suspects continued running, turning the corner onto 22nd Street. The two males in the vehicle were immediately detained while a perimeter was set up in the neighborhood. One of the suspects was found hiding under a van to the rear of a residence during a K9 search. K9 and SWAT officers located the second suspect hiding in the rear yard of a vacant home.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to call the
Santa Monica Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division at (310) 458-8451 or the
Watch Commander at (310) 458-8427 (24 hours). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may call We Tip at 1-800-78-CRIME (1-800-78-27463).
