Man Arrested in Drive-By Slaying
A 19-year-old man was arrested after a gang-motivated drive-by shooting that left one man dead, police said.
Francisco Juarez, 19, was taken into custody Monday night, shortly after the killing of Ramon Hernandez, 20, of Van Nuys, according to authorities.
The shooting occurred at about 8 p.m. in the 6900 block of Hazeltine Avenue, said Det. Stephen Fisk of the Los Angeles Police Department Van Nuys station.
Hernandez was standing outside an apartment complex when three men drove up in a red Mazda truck, Fisk said. One man got out of the car and fired at Hernandez with a large-caliber handgun, striking him once in the upper torso, according to police.
Hernandez was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 90 minutes later, authorities said.
Later that night, investigators spotted the truck parked at Kester Avenue and Wyandotte Street and arrested Juarez at a residence there. The other two men have not been found.
Fisk said the suspects are gang members but detectives had not yet determined if Hernandez had gang ties or was mistaken for a gang member.
Juarez was being held without bail on suspicion of murder at the Van Nuys Jail pending arraignment, Fisk said.
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