Pasadena raid nets four murder suspects

PASADENA - Police arrested four men as suspects in a year-old murder case, conducting SWAT-supported raids at five locations early this morning.

Authorities said the arrests were part of an investigation into the shooting death of 18-year-old Sean Baptiste exactly one year ago today. Officials said Baptiste was shot at Lincoln Avenue and Orange Grove Boulevard.

Sixty-five Pasadena Police Department officers took part in the operations that involved serving warrants at residences on the 1700 and 1800 blocks of Lincoln Avenue, the 900 block of Mountain Street, the 1800 block of Summit Avenue, and the 1400 block of El Sereno Avenue, said police Cmdr. Mike Korpal.

While detectives had been working on the Baptiste shooting case for a year, Korpal said the raids sent a message that police never give up.

"It sends a message to criminals that if you commit a crime here we are going to exhaust every effort to find out who is responsible and prosecute that person," he said.