A month-long manhunt for a suspect accused of killing a woman and wounding a man in a shooting at a Chino parking lot came to end Wednesday when the fugitive was captured in Mexico, authorities said.
Julio Cesar Rocha, 25, of Montlcair was apprehended south of the border and returned to San Bernardino County to face charges of murder and attempted murder, the Chino Police Department said in a written statement. He was formally arrested about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday after arriving at LAX, county booking records show.
He’s accused of the murder of 25-year-old Thalia Flores of Montclair, as well as the wounding of a man, on the afternoon of March 21 in the parking lot of a discount store at 12550 Central Avenue, police said.
Flores and the man were shot while sitting in a car, officials said. The suspect, who police quickly identified as Rocha, fled the scene and remained at large for more than a month.
The area where the broad-daylight shooting took place is well travelled, and Chino police Lt. Bill Covington told KTLA that there were many witnesses present at the time.
Bail for Rocha was set at $3 million pending legal proceedings, records show.
Anyone with information can reach Chino police at 909-334-3000.
Julio Rocha was located in Mexico and subsequently booked at the West Valley Detention Center last night. He was wanted for the murder of Thalia Flores on March 21, 2019, and attempted murder of a second male victim.
Original incident post: https://t.co/OE6Mr6Y8DF pic.twitter.com/HlW3pjB0x0
— Chino Police (@chinopolicedept) April 25, 2019
🔺Seeking Public’s Help With Locating Homicide Suspect🔺
Detectives identified the outstanding suspect that shot and killed 25 year old Thalia Flores of Montclair in the 12500blk of Central Ave at approx 2:43 p.m. yesterday.
Link to more info: https://t.co/OE6Mr6Y8DF pic.twitter.com/5LLQ98ekkk
— Chino Police (@chinopolicedept) March 22, 2019
