On July 22 at 3:21 a.m., 32-year-old Jesse Munoz of Los Angeles was murdered during a robbery at Mile Marker 36 on Angeles Crest Highway. Munoz was inside a vehicle with a female companion at a scenic viewpoint when the homicide occurred.

Detectives from the Pasadena Police Dept.’s Robbery/Homicide Unit (RHU) responded to the homicide scene to commence an immediate follow-up investigation. RHU detectives tirelessly followed investigative leads and, using technology, quickly identified suspects.

On July 25, specialized law enforcement personnel intercepted a specific vehicle loaded with armed criminal street gang members in Panorama City. This strategic operation led to five arrests and the recovery of multiple firearms. A sixth suspect was simultaneously arrested in South Los Angeles.

On July 28, RHU detectives met with prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The District Attorney’s Office filed two counts of Penal Code 211(robbery) with handgun allegations on Luis Ventura, a 23-year-old Los Angeles resident. He was charged with robbing Jesse Munoz and his female companion. Bail was set at $150,000.

20-year-old Wendy Cerritos and 21-year-old Rossel Josue Hernandez, both Los Angeles residents, were charged with four counts and two counts respectively of Penal Code 211(robbery) with handgun allegations. Bail was set at $300,000 for Cerritos and $150,000 for Hernandez. Cerritos and Hernandez were charged for robberies that occurred on Angeles Crest Highway the week preceding Munoz’s murder.

RHU detectives are confident that the evidence recovered and the facts obtained thus far in their investigation connect a specific criminal street gang to murders and other violent crimes that have occurred in Los Angeles County over the last week. RHU detectives are actively piecing together the elements and evidence related to the homicide of Jesse Munoz and working with LASD Homicide to ensure those responsible for the violence receive justice.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222-TIPS (8477), via a smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers