A man wanted in connection with a 2022 double homicide near Atwater is now in custody after being arrested in Las Vegas, deputies said. Authorities identified the suspect as 30-year-old Justin Vanrassan and said he was taken into custody after a multi-year investigation that stretched across state lines.
Investigation Led Detectives to Las Vegas
Detectives say a mix of surveillance images, witness descriptions, and the release of digital sketches in October slowly tightened the net around their suspect and ultimately pointed to Vanrassan. The Merced County Sheriff's Office located and arrested him in Las Vegas, according to local reporting by YourCentralValley.
The 2022 Shooting
The shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. on a weekend in early July 2022 when callers reported multiple shots fired from one vehicle toward another on Santa Fe Drive near Franklin Road, just outside Atwater. Ruben Coronado, 23, and Eli Correa, 24, were killed and a woman in the car was critically injured, according to reporting at the time by KCRA.
Evidence and Las Vegas Connection
Investigators released surveillance stills showing a silver 2020 Mazda CX-9 and said they believed the vehicle and suspects had ties to the Las Vegas area, according to FOX5 Las Vegas. Anyone with information is urged to contact the Merced County Sheriff's Office at (209) 385-7444.
