Man Sought in Shootings Is Arrested in Tijuana

A man wanted in connection with the shooting death of a friend and the wounding of the friend’s cousin last weekend has been arrested by Mexican police in Tijuana, authorities said Monday.

Investigators had been looking for Manual Salas, 20, since early Saturday, after he allegedly opened fire on two friends, killing Robert S. Orales, 16, of Anaheim and wounding Orales’ 16-year-cousin with a semiautomatic gun while the three watched “The Sixth Sense” at a friend’s house.

Late Sunday night, officers got a tip that Salas was in custody in Mexico, Santa Ana police Sgt. Raul Luna said.

Luna said that Salas, his brother and a friend were stopped while driving a van in downtown Tijuana about 5:30 p.m. Sunday because a police officer thought they looked suspicious. The officer found a semiautomatic gun and took the three men into custody for unlawful possession of a gun, and for transporting it into the country, crimes that in Mexico carry a prison term of between five and 30 years, Luna said.

Luna said his department is working with the Mexican federal prosecutor to get Salas extradited to the United States.

According to investigators, the shooting spree began shortly after midnight Saturday when Salas got up from the couch, started crying and then went into another room to get his gun.

When the other teenager heard the shots and came into the living room, Salas allegedly shot him once in the head and twice in the upper body, Luna said.