Police say they have arrested a 15-year-old on suspicion of fatally shooting a man in Downtown Long Beach while the area was crowded with attendees of the Grand Prix.
The shooting happened around 5:50 p.m. on April 12, the second day of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Police said they found a 21-year-old man suffering from multiple gunshot wounds on Cedar Walk, which is just across Ocean Boulevard from Lincoln Park.
The victim, later identified as Brandon Villareal of Long Beach, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Candles, flowers and signs honoring Villareal were soon set up along Cedar Walk.
“In loving memory of Brandon, your smile will be missed!” one sign read.
Police said Villareal and the suspected killer were in a “verbal dispute” before the shooting, but they did not disclose what sparked the argument.
Homicide detectives identified a 15-year-old boy, who lived in Long Beach, as the suspected shooter. They learned he had travelled to Las Vegas, but was planning to return to California last Sunday, police said.
On Sunday, with assistance from the FBI Criminal Apprehension Team, detectives arrested him during a traffic stop in Barstow — roughly 56 miles north of San Bernardino, according to the LBPD.
The teen, whose name was withheld because he is a minor, was taken to Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, where he was booked on suspicion of murder. He was being held there without bail, police said.