Long Beach Police have apprehended a suspect in the murder case of 41-year-old Miguel Rodriguez of Walnut Park, as reported in a city press release. Carlos Salazar Jr., 43, previously of Compton, was identified as the suspect by homicide detectives and taken into custody following a routine traffic stop by the Irvine Police Department on August 27.
Following the fatal incident on February 22, where Rodriguez was found down in a parking lot at the 6900 block of Paramount Boulevard after sustaining multiple gunshots, the Long Beach police had been on the lookout for the perpetrator, whose violent act was believed to be the result of an ongoing dispute with Rodriguez, according to the investigators' findings. The initial lack of suspect information and the surrounding circumstances of the crime had left the authorities grasping at the straws for months until Salazar Jr.’s traffic violation brought him into their jurisdiction; now he is held without bail and awaits extradition.
The suspect, now booked into Orange County Jail on a murder charge, was apprehended after diligent investigation efforts from the Long Beach Police Department and collaboration with the Irvine Police Department. The Long Beach Police Department expressed their thanks to their Irvine counterparts for aiding in the arrest.
Authorities continue to dig into the case, urging anyone with information to come forward and contact Homicide Detectives Sean Magee, Juan Carlos Reyes, or Lisette Temblador at (562) 570-7244, or to anonymously give tips via "LA Crime Stoppers", either by phone, app, or online portal; these avenues remain open for public input.
