A reputed gang member—who was on the FBI’s list of Ten Most Wanted fugitives—was set to be arraigned this week on capital murder charges for his alleged involvement in a shootout that left four men dead in South Los Angeles.
Marlon Jones, 41, is charged with four counts of murder stemming from the Oct. 15 shooting, along with the special circumstance allegation of multiple murders.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will decide later whether to seek the death penalty against Jones, who was arrested Nov. 2 in South Los Angeles after a chase on the Harbor (110) Freeway.
Jones allegedly attended a birthday party at a home that had been temporarily converted into a restaurant in the 2900 block of Rimpau Ave. and shot a rival gang member, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
More gunfire was exchanged between the two groups, resulting in the deaths of three other men and 10 other people being wounded, officials said.
The names of the fatally wounded victims have not been released because the case remains on a security hold, coroner’s Assistant Chief Ed Winter said.
About 50 people were at the party, which was being held at a home that had been temporarily converted into a restaurant, according to detectives.
Jones, who has a violent criminal history, is believed to be a member of an East Coast Jamaican criminal group involved in the illegal distribution of marijuana and may have been in Los Angeles to settle a disagreement with the rival gang, the FBI reported.
Jones was believed to be living in the United States illegally.
A local arrest warrant was obtained for Jones on Oct. 21 by the Los Angeles Police Department after he was charged with the killings, and a federal arrest warrant was issued for him on Oct. 31 after he was charged in a criminal complaint with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Jones was thought to have fled the state immediately after the shootings.
Los Angeles County officials requested the FBI’s assistance in apprehending and returning him to Los Angeles to face prosecution.
Widespread publicity about Jones after he was added to the Ten Most Wanted list on Nov. 1 generated a tip that led to his arrest, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.
Jones has used a variety of aliases, including: Rasheen Brantley, Floyd Evans, Floyd Evans, Jr., Anthony Howard, Philip L. Schepacarter, Anthony Winter, Anthony Wynter, and “Junior,” authorities said.
