Authorities arrested the man they say shot and killed a 17-year-old girl from Huntington Park at a popular Hollywood intersection, LAPD said Sunday.
The teenager was an innocent bystander watching cars street racing at Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue when the shooting happened around midnight, according to police. The suspect, 33-year-old Ramon Roque Monreal, was detained about four hours later in Carson.
Loved ones gathered near to the scene of the shooting Sunday evening to remember Alejandra Estrada, who they identified as the person shot.
“Everything just happened like a little too fast,” said Estrada’s friend, Juan Cayetano, who was with her the night of the shooting. “So I still don’t know how to feel or react on it.”
Monreal is currently being held on $3 million bail, police said.
According to police, Monreal got into an altercation with another male at the illegal racing event before showing off a gun he had with him and firing off shots. He allegedly shot the 17-year-old girl and a male victim, who drove to a hospital and was treated for serious wounds but expected to survive. The other victim’s age is not known.
Officers first responded to a call about the street racing just after midnight, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. When they arrived, they found the teenager unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
About 200 people were in the area, LAPD Officer Dennis Orris told KTLA.
“Sounds like someone’s drag racing in the middle of the street,” Twitter user Geoff Pilkington said in a 12:13 a.m. post. “Burning their tires for like 20 minutes. Lots of smoke and burnt rubber.” Pilkington also tweeted video showing caution tape surrounding a portion of the street and multiple police vehicles.
LAPD said there were several people present and the shooting was captured on video shared to social media, giving investigators crucial information right away.
Nearly four hours later, about 25 miles away in Carson, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies found and detained Monreal, LAPD said. They were responding to an unrelated call near West 223rd and South Figueroa streets around 3:45 a.m.
Monreal, a resident of El Paso, Texas, was allegedly in possession of a firearm.
Witnesses had described the shooter to officers as a Hispanic man with a thin build who was wearing a black shirt and camouflage shorts, according to police.
LAPD Officer Mike Lopez told the Los Angeles Times police looked at two videos apparently showing three men attacking a fourth man before a series of gunshots prompted the surrounding crowd to flee.
Both clips end with a girl down on the sidewalk, the Times reported.
Cayetano said he knew Estrada since the 6th grade and they were close.
“She was like really smart,” Cayetano said. “She was like really funny. Like I don’t know how to explain it but she was a really good friend.”
According to LAPD, investigators will present the case to the District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday for consideration of criminal charges including murder.
