4 Suspects Arrested in La Habra Alley Slaying : Crime: The man and three juveniles held are believed to be rival gang members who allegedly retaliated for car damage.
LA HABRA — Police arrested four suspected gang members in connection with the back-alley slaying of a Huntington Beach youth, who was shot in apparent retaliation over a dispute involving a damaged car.
Officers found the body of Leo A. Huicochea, 16, at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday after they responded to a call of shots being fired near an apartment complex in the 300 block of North Bedford Street.
A three-day search prompted by detailed descriptions from witnesses at the scene led police to the Friday arrest of one man and three juveniles, two of them female, La Habra police Sgt. Perry Miller said.
“The investigators worked all day yesterday on it,†Miller said Friday.
Marcos A. Damian, 21, of La Habra was held over the weekend on $250,000 bail in the Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana on suspicion of murder, Miller said.
In addition, police arrested girls 17 and 16 years old and a 17-year-old boy, all from La Habra. They were placed in Juvenile Hall, Miller said. The juveniles’ names were withheld because of their age.
Miller said the four allegedly belong to three street gangs.
Huicochea, who frequented La Habra, was walking Tuesday night down a street near North Bedford Street with a friend before the shooting, Miller said, when a vehicle drove past. Words were exchanged with the occupants.
Huicochea and his friend then split up, and Huicochea walked into an alley that separates an apartment complex and business. A car pulled into the alley and stopped. A bullet was fired, which struck Huicochea, killing him almost instantly, Miller said.
Witnesses later told police that the same car was seen at two other drive-by shootings almost half an hour before the fatal shooting. No one was wounded in either of the previous shootings, Miller said. He gave no further details about the other attacks.
The car that police believe was used in the slaying was found abandoned Thursday. It had been stolen in Fullerton a week before.
Police said they believe that the suspects had been embroiled in an earlier dispute with rival gang members in the city and had sought revenge.
“It appears it’s (the shooting) in retaliation for some damage to one of the suspect’s vehicles,†Miller said.
In addition to the arrest warrants, police were issued search warrants for several La Habra and Anaheim areas to gather evidence and a murder weapon, Miller said.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
