A Pomona man has been charged with murdering his father in Long Beach, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced today.
Juan Manuel Morales Jr., 35, was set to be arraigned Friday in a Long Beach courtroom in connection with the death of his 59-year-old father, Juan Manuel Morales Sr., according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Long Beach police said the preliminary investigation into the elder Morales’ death determined that the two men were involved in a dispute Sunday, during which the elder Morales was struck by a vehicle allegedly driven by his son in the area of Santa Fe Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.
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He was taken to a hospital by Long Beach Fire Department paramedics, where he later died, police said.
The younger Morales was arrested Tuesday after police responded to a report of someone refusing to leave a business in the 1900 block of Artesia Boulevard, with officers recognizing his vehicle as being involved in a murder investigation, according to police.
“Officers attempted to deescalate the situation, but the suspect remained uncooperative. After refusing to comply with officers’ commands, officers deployed pepper spray and 40mm less-lethal rounds, which were unsuccessful,” police said in a statement.
Police said officers subsequently had to utilize electrical weapons to get Morales Jr. to comply and take him into custody.
He has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.