Murder Suspect Mistakenly Released in Mix-Up

A case of mistaken identity led to the inadvertent release Wednesday of a murder suspect from Van Nuys Municipal Court, authorities said.

Police were searching for Manuel Antonio Rodriguez, 23, a transient, who was dressed only in a pair of blue pants when he was set free from a holding cell where he was awaiting arraignment in the murder of another transient, Los Angeles police said.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies released Rodriguez about noon after mistaking him for another man whom a judge had ordered released, Sheriff’s Sgt. Ron Bailey said. Deputies discovered the mistake at 3:45 p.m. when they sought to bring Rodriguez to court, he said.

Investigators had few clues to the whereabouts of Rodriguez, who told police he is a native of Durango, Mexico. The U.S. Border Patrol has been told to watch for Rodriguez because his flight to Mexico “is a strong possibility,” Los Angeles Police Detective Lyle Mayer said.

Rodriguez and Antonio Gonzalez, 23, were arrested Monday, after an unidentified man was fatally beaten in an argument about sleeping arrangements in an abandoned home in Van Nuys, police said.

When he was released, Rodriguez was wearing a pair of blue trousers, without shoes or a shirt, and had a bandage on his right hand from an injury, police said.