A man has been charged in the fatal shooting of a person who tried to intervene while the suspect was allegedly breaking into a car in Covina, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Trevor Howard Thompson, 34, of Glendora, has been charged with murder, attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm — described as a Colt 45 — attempted carjacking, second-degree burglary of a vehicle, resisting an officer, vandalism and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The incident occurred about 11 p.m. Dec. 21 along the 1100 block of North Charter Drive.
Covina police officers responded to a theft in progress from a parked BMW and found a man fatally shot.
The vehicle theft suspect had apparently been seen by multiple neighbors who followed him to the 1800 block of East Covina Boulevard. The neighbors then confronted Thompson, who allegedly took out a gun and fired it at the group multiple times, striking one person, police said.
The victim, 38-year-old Joey Casias, of Covina, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thompson at one point also attempted to carjack another person’s vehicle, according to the DA’s office.
Thompson left the scene on foot and was spotted by a UPS driver the following afternoon in the 5100 block of North Bonnie Cove Avenue. He then allegedly ran into an apartment complex where he “initially refused to surrender to officers and fired a round inside the patio area,” police said. Thompson also allegedly disabled a police camera bot, according to the DA’s office.
A standoff ensued and after about four hours, the suspect climbed out of the patio and again tried to run.
Officers fired less-than-lethal rounds at Thompson and eventually took him into custody. A gun was recovered from the scene, police said.
Thompson was set to be arraigned Monday, but the arraignment was continued to Tuesday.
“This is an especially heartbreaking incident since Mr. Casias was simply acting as a good Samaritan,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a news release. “As we seek to ensure accountability, we also will make every possible service available to the victims and their families.”
