Three arrested in triple-slaying at Pico Rivera pizza parlor
PICO RIVERA -- Authorities arrested three men Friday on suspicion of carrying out a shooting at a pizza parlor last month that left three men dead and 7 people wounded.
Rudy Ruiz, 30, of the Whittier area surrendered following a brief chase on the 605 Freeway, Capt. Michael Rothans of the sheriff's Pico Rivera Station said.
Christopher Johnson, 18, of Montebello was arrested without incident shortly after at his home, the captain said.
The third suspect in the slaying, 43-year-old John Perez of Pico Rivera, was already in custody on other charges stemming from a June 30 car-chase in an allegedly stolen car, during which police said he threw a gun out the window.
Despite the arrests, Rothans said the investigation into the June 27 shooting at Falcone's Pizza, 9247 Slauson Ave., continues.
"There's still some other people of interest that we're looking at," he said. "There are other people who could have been involved. The investigation is by no means complete."
Perez, Johnson and Ruiz were booked on suspicion of murder, Rothans said. They will be formally charged Monday with crimes that will likely include three counts of murder, as well as additional counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The captain said officials had been watching Johnson and Ruiz as "people of interest," but declined to say how long.
Rothans also declined to discuss the results of ballistics tests on the handgun allegedly thrown by John Perez just before his arrest, or what role each suspect was believed to have played in the shooting.
The triple-fatal shooting took place as a group of motorcycle enthusiasts calling themselves the "Old School Riders," were having a fund-raising event.
Homicide detectives investigating the case said the group had no gang ties or known problems with the law.
The shooting killed cousins Garret Dandini, 25, and Tony Dandini, 39, both of Whittier, as well as Carlos Carrera, 39, of La Habra, coroner's officials said.
Garret Dandini was a Naval recruiter and served three tours of duty in Iraq.
"Obviously it was a very, very tragic incident," Rothans said. "I'm very happy that the diligent efforts of the homicide detectives and the detectives working this case we were able to get these arrests as soon as they did."
Rudy Ruiz, 30, of the Whittier area surrendered following a brief chase on the 605 Freeway, Capt. Michael Rothans of the sheriff's Pico Rivera Station said.
Christopher Johnson, 18, of Montebello was arrested without incident shortly after at his home, the captain said.
The third suspect in the slaying, 43-year-old John Perez of Pico Rivera, was already in custody on other charges stemming from a June 30 car-chase in an allegedly stolen car, during which police said he threw a gun out the window.
Despite the arrests, Rothans said the investigation into the June 27 shooting at Falcone's Pizza, 9247 Slauson Ave., continues.
"There's still some other people of interest that we're looking at," he said. "There are other people who could have been involved. The investigation is by no means complete."
Perez, Johnson and Ruiz were booked on suspicion of murder, Rothans said. They will be formally charged Monday with crimes that will likely include three counts of murder, as well as additional counts of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
The captain said officials had been watching Johnson and Ruiz as "people of interest," but declined to say how long.
Rothans also declined to discuss the results of ballistics tests on the handgun allegedly thrown by John Perez just before his arrest, or what role each suspect was believed to have played in the shooting.
The triple-fatal shooting took place as a group of motorcycle enthusiasts calling themselves the "Old School Riders," were having a fund-raising event.
Homicide detectives investigating the case said the group had no gang ties or known problems with the law.
The shooting killed cousins Garret Dandini, 25, and Tony Dandini, 39, both of Whittier, as well as Carlos Carrera, 39, of La Habra, coroner's officials said.
Garret Dandini was a Naval recruiter and served three tours of duty in Iraq.
"Obviously it was a very, very tragic incident," Rothans said. "I'm very happy that the diligent efforts of the homicide detectives and the detectives working this case we were able to get these arrests as soon as they did."
CONTRIBUTORS
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| Frank Girardot, Metro Editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspapers, brings you behind the yellow tape with takes on true crime, cold cases and more. This is also your forum to discuss crime, its impact on your neighborhood and how we cover it. Have any questions or tips? You can leave a comment here or e-mail Frank. |
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Brian Day is the crime reporter for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper group. E-mail Brian. |
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