Man accused of gunning down suspected car thief in Riverside
A Perris man has been arrested by Riverside Police Department officers after he allegedly shot and killed a suspected car thief last week.
Tony Ortiz, 41, was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside to await charges for murder and multiple gun crimes.
The deadly shooting happened on July 24, just after midnight on the 9100 block of Magnolia Avenue.
Officers were dispatched to the scene following a report of a stolen Honda Civic that had crashed into several parked vehicles and a dumpster.
When officers arrived on scene, they found the stolen vehicle with a man slumped over in the front seat suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to the hospital and died hours later, police said.
He’s been identified as 35-year-old Alex Arzate of Riverside.
Homicide detectives took over the case and were quickly able to identify Ortiz as the suspect in the shooting.
“They believe Ortiz witnessed Arzate steal the Honda Civic, then produce a handgun and shoot Arzate as he was driving away in the stolen car,” the Police Department said in a Monday news release.
Officers located and arrested Ortiz at his home in Perris several hours after the deadly shooting. A search warrant was served at his home which led to the discovery of several firearms, including the one believed to have been used to shoot and kill Arzate.
Ortiz has since been booked into jail and is being held on $1 million bail.
The shooting remains under investigation and anyone with information is urged to come forward by contacting the Riverside Police Department.
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