San Fernando Valley man detained in Germany in connection with fatal shooting in Woodland Hills
A San Fernando Valley man wanted by Los Angeles police in connection with a fatal shooting in Woodland Hills last week was taken into custody Saturday at a German airport.
Federal authorities and German police detained Sohrob Morshedi, 22, on a murder warrant in Munich as he disembarked from a flight that had arrived at the airport from Mexico, LAPD Officer Greg Kraft said.
Police say Morshedi shot 22-year-old Dexterkane Justice James several times before he got in James’ car and ran over the wounded man as he drove off on Oct. 23. When officers arrived at the 23000 block of Leonora Drive about 8 p.m., they found James lying in the street. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Kraft said.
Police found the car abandoned several blocks away that night, but a suspect was not immediately found. It is not clear how authorities linked Morshedi to the incident.
The FBI, German authorities and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office will work together to extradite Morshedi to the United States, Kraft said.
Detectives initially theorized that the shooting was the result of a carjacking, although now they suspect James and the gunman may have known each other.
Witness Sam Kindseth told KABC-TV that he heard gunshots and saw James’ body being dragged by the moving car.
The driver “was trying to pull the guy into his car, almost to like, hide the evidence, but maybe he couldn’t get him in the car, and he just ran out of time and he took off and ran him over,” Kindseth told the station at the time.
Twitter: @Hannahnfry
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