Man Arrested in 1987 Murder Case
Police have arrested a 23-year-old man suspected of killing his neighbor in Huntington Beach four years ago in a car sale gone awry.
Detectives originally believed that Robert Flores Tapia had fled to Mexico after he allegedly shot Ramiro Bahena, then 21, in 1987, Police Lt. Ed McErlain said. However, an informant recently told them that Tapia was living in Los Angeles.
Tapia and Bahena had been arguing in an alley behind Commodore Circle (now named Amberleaf Circle) about “money due to the victim and repairs needed” on a car Tapia had sold to Bahena, McErlain said.
“The suspect then shot and killed the victim with a small automatic handgun,” McErlain said.
Friday, Huntington Beach officers, along with Los Angeles police, served a murder warrant for Tapia at his home in the 1700 block of E. 115th Street in Los Angeles, McErlain said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
