Police arrested a 35-year-old Pomona man on Tuesday for allegedly killed his homeless father in Long Beach earlier this week.
Long Beach police began investigating the case on June 23 after learning about a suspected carjacking at Santa Fe Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. When officers arrived, they found 59-year-old Juan Morales with injuries to his upper and lower body.
The Long Beach Fire Department took Morales to the hospital, where he later died.
In their preliminary investigation, detectives said the victim and his 35-year-old son, Juan Manual Morales Jr., got into an argument before he allegedly ran over his father. Investigators are still trying to determine the motive behind the murder.
It took detectives two days before Morales Jr. found, but they ultimately got lucky when a business in the 1900 block of Artesia Boulevard reported an “unwelcome person.” Detectives alleged that responding officers recognized Morales’ car as the car used in his father’s death.
They tried Morales Jr. to leave the company, but he refused to follow the officers’ orders. Police eventually used pepper spray and a 40mm less-lethal bullet in an attempt to subdue the suspect, but neither method worked.
Officers arrested Morales Jr. after using a ‘conducted electrical weapon’.
He was arrested for murder and two other warrants. His bail has been set at $2.35 million. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office did not immediately file charges against Morales Jr.
