Quick action by local deputies leads to the arrest of a 22-year-old Bloomington man in connection with a shooting on Monday night. According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner's Department, deputies responded to reports of gunfire at a Bloomington residence where they discovered a male victim with multiple gunshot wounds; they administered first-aid until paramedics arrived.
The violence unfolded after an argument went south between the suspect, Armen Joshua Mata, and the victim, whose identity remains protected from the public, Mata, allegedly fired several rounds before fleeing the blood-splattered scene, the injured man was rushed to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where he remains in a fight for his life.
Law enforcement conducted a manhunt that culminated in Menifee, where Mata was spotted sitting in a car early Tuesday morning, a collaboration with the Menifee Police Department saw the suspect detained at 8:58 a.m. after he vacated the parking lot. Mata was subsequently charged and taken to the Fontana Sheriff's Station for booking and his vehicle was confiscated for forensic examination. The deputies' legwork yielded a weapon stashed in the vehicle potentially sealing Mata's fate in court.
The sheriff's office maintains a vigilant call to locals for any fresh details that could illuminate this grim tableau. They can be reached at (909) 356-6767 or anonymous tips can slide through the We-Tip Hotline at 1-800-78-CRIME.
