Murder Suspect’s Capture Eases--and Highlights--Fears for Safety : Crime: Extradition hearing is scheduled Monday for Oregon man in brutal home invasion and slaying in Torrance.

Torrance residents, left jittery by a series of high-profile killings, had cause to relax a bit this week with the capture of an Oregon man in a brutal home invasion and slaying of a local data processor.

The arrest of Randy Eugene Garcia, 22, in Oregon seemed to allay some of the fear that has swept parts of Torrance since the killing of Joseph Raymond Finzel last weekend. Garcia, who is being held without bail in a Washington County jail, is scheduled to appear at an extradition hearing Monday.

Torrance Police Chief Joseph C. De Ladurantey, who had called Garcia a “community terrorist,” said the highly publicized incident prompted a flood of calls to police from worried residents.

“They have concerns. ‘Is this kind of crime going to be repeated? What should we be doing that we’re not doing to fortify ourselves?’ ” said De Ladurantey. “You can’t drive down the street (without) people talking about it as a concern.”

Police tried to calm local fears, but on the day Garcia was captured, the city recorded yet another slaying--this one a catering truck driver killed in an apparent dispute over his route.

In that case, Cornell Price, 26, was booked on suspicion of murder in the slaying of Jose Argueta, 38, at a Torrance lumber yard where Argueta had stopped to sell food from the lunch truck. Police say Price might have been a business rival of the victim.

It was the sixth homicide in Torrance this year, four more than reported all of last year, according to police statistics.

In addition, many residents have yet to forget one of the year’s most widely publicized killings, the March slaying of an arcade worker at Del Amo Fashion Center. Police said 21-year-old Michael Ellis was shot to death as he prepared to open the Torrance mall’s popular arcade.

His killer remains at large but the incident, along with other reports of crime at the mall, prompted the City Council to beef up the police presence at the sprawling retail center.

In the home invasion case, police think Garcia was the intruder who entered a north Torrance home last Saturday about 11:15 p.m. through an unlocked door, tied up Lynn Finzel, 28, and sexually assaulted her as the couple’s 6-month-old daughter slept in another room.

When Joseph Raymond Finzel, 29, arrived soon afterward, police said the assailant, using one of the Finzels’ own guns, shot him and then shot Lynn Finzel. Authorities said she survived by playing dead on a leaking water bed for more than an hour while the assailant ransacked their home.

Lynn Finzel remained in stable condition Thursday at an undisclosed local hospital.

Torrance homicide detectives were in the Portland area on Thursday questioning Garcia about the crime. Garcia has a history of burglary-related arrests in Oregon and had been wanted in that state for a probation violation.

Police also questioned a man who had been accompanying Garcia when he fled Los Angeles County. But the acquaintance, whose identity was not disclosed, is not considered a suspect in the Finzel case and faces no charges, Sgt. Dave Smith said.

The Finzels’ neighbors expressed relief Thursday about the capture of Garcia, who police believe acted alone in the crime.

“They got him quick, thank God for that,” said Dave Barry, as he watched passing cars from a chair in his garage. “But we’ll be thinking about this for a long time. You’ll keep an eye out. You hear about it happening in L.A. or (other areas). But when it hits this close to home, then you really think about it.”