Los Angeles, CA- County supervisors offered or renewed $10,000 rewards today in five cases, including a movie theater attack and two fatal stabbings in the Antelope Valley and the unrelated shootings of two children in Compton.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas proposed two new $10,000 rewards -- the first for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the gunman who shot a 10-year-old girl while she was playing basketball March 2, in Compton.
Erika Miranda had multiple gunshot wounds, but survived, Ridley-Thomas said. Ridley-Thomas’ second reward proposal was on behalf of Linsey Baquedano, an 18-month-old girl struck by gunfire when a shooter fired into a crowd in the 800 block of 137th Street in Compton on March 7. The toddler, who was with her mother, was hospitalized with critical injuries.
Supervisor Michael Antonovich recommended action on the other three $10,000 rewards related to crimes in his district. A $10,000 reward was offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of two men wanted for stabbing two moviegoers with a meat thermometer during an argument over cell phone use.
The attack took place at the Cinemark 22 Theater in Lancaster at around 11:10 p.m. on Feb. 27. While “Shutter Island” was being shown, “a woman was on the phone, likely one of the suspects’ girlfriend, and the victim asked her to “turn it off,” Detective Richard Cartmill of the Lancaster sheriff’s station said earlier.
A second victim attempted to intervene and was also stabbed, but both victims survived. The sheriff’s department released surveillance video of the suspects. One was described as Black, about 30 years old and weighing about 175 pounds, with his hair in long braids. The second is Black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 190 pounds.
The board extended a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of 28-year-old Jesus Humberto Canales, who is wanted for allegedly stabbing his 26-year-old girlfriend to death with a sword around 2 a.m. on July 12, 2008.
The crime was committed in Lucy Preciado’s Lancaster apartment in front of the couple’s four children, including a 9-year-old girl who called 911. Canales’ bronze 2002 GMC Safari van was later recovered in Pomona. The board also extended a $10,000 reward in the stabbing death of 17-year-old Andrew Lopez, who was killed during a May 9, 2008, house party in the 41600 block of 22nd Street West in Palmdale. All of the rewards were approved by unanimous votes.