Two Arrested in Connection with Fatal Shooting During Catalytic Converter Theft in Inglewood
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) – Authorities announced Friday that two suspects have been arrested more than a week after a man was shot and killed while attempting to stop a catalytic converter theft outside his Inglewood home.
The Inglewood Police Department reported that both suspects were taken into custody following a seven-hour standoff with the department’s SWAT team. Additional details, including the identities of the suspects, have not yet been released.
The incident occurred last Tuesday around 3:22 a.m. in the 1000 block of North Chester Avenue. According to loved ones, Juan Sanchez was preparing to leave for work when he heard a noise coming from his neighbor’s property and attempted to intervene. Police stated that Sanchez was shot in the chest and later succumbed to his injuries.
Surveillance footage captured the suspects fleeing south on North Chester Avenue and then east on 65th Street. A Ring camera also recorded the shooting, providing critical evidence in the investigation.
Sanchez’s family described him as a hardworking and caring individual who was thrilled about a recent promotion at Clean Harbors and had just completed a project in the Palisades Fire zone. His sister, Susana Sanchez, expressed the family’s grief, saying, “It’s been a very difficult time trying to understand how somebody could do this to another human being.”
Sanchez leaves behind his wife, two children, and a grandson. He was also an active church volunteer and was remembered in a GoFundMe campaign as a “devoted husband, a loving father, a proud grandfather, and a cherished friend to so many.”
The tragic incident has drawn parallels to the killing of General Hospital actor Johnny Wactor, who was fatally shot in downtown Los Angeles last May while confronting thieves attempting to steal the catalytic converter from his car.
The arrests bring a measure of closure to the case, but the community continues to mourn the loss of a beloved family man and dedicated community member.
