Authorities have arrested a man for an attempted robbery in Melrose and are now seeking the public’s help identifying a second suspect involved in the incident.
Police identified and arrested one of the suspects they believe to be responsible for shooting at a victim at a Melrose District business during an attempted robbery, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release Friday.
Detectives are now trying to identify a second suspect as well as find any additional victims.
Around 6 p.m. April 10, the victim was standing in front of a clothing store on Melrose Avenue when he observed two men coming from the nearby alley. The victim was wearing an expensive watch and felt like the men were looking at him, police said.
The victim ran inside the business towards the backroom of the store. The suspects followed the victim — identified as Antwain Hayden by his brother, Anquan Hayden — and fired six rounds in the victim’s direction, but he was not struck by the gunfire.
“He ran inside the restroom as I was trying to come out the restroom and he asked me, ‘Am I hit, Anquan?'” Anquan Hayden said.
Detectives located additional video, adjacent to the alley where the suspects were seen coming from. The surveillance video captured the suspects arriving in a vehicle and showed that the two suspects were driven away by a third suspect, LAPD said.
Around 4 p.m. April 18, officers located and arrested Jamario Kevin Ray, a 22-year-old resident of Los Angeles, in connection to the incident and a search warrant was served at his home.
Jamario Ray was already on parole for an assault with a deadly weapon and had a warrant for a parole violation, LAPD said. Ray was booked for a Ramey warrant on suspicion of attempted murder and bail was set at $1 million. Ray was also booked for the no-bail parole violation warrant.
On April 20, the case was presented to the District Attorney’s Office, which filed one count of attempted murder, one count of attempted robbery, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, and one count of an ex-con with a gun. No bail was set.
The second suspect who police are looking for is described as a Black man in his twenties, about 6 feet tall and weighing between 170-190 pounds. He was last seen wearing a navy hooded sweatshirt, gray pants and black shoes.
Anyone with information or video regarding these incidents is urged to contact Detective Alonzo or Detective Mrakich at 213-486-6840. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-527-3247. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or send an email to RHDtipline@lapd.online.