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Authorities provided updates Monday afternoon on the arrest of a Costa Mesa couple in the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Aiden Leos in a confrontation on the Costa Mesa Highway (55).
The two suspects — Marcus Anthony Erez, 24, and Wayne Lee, 23 — were arrested Sunday by the California Highway Patrol at their Costa Mesa home.
At an afternoon news conference, the CHP did not say much about the case, citing an ongoing investigation, but said it had recovered a weapon and the vehicle in question.
Authorities have not yet commented on whether anyone would qualify for the $500,000 reward offered for information leading to those involved in Aiden’s murder. According to the CHP, “hundreds” of tips were received from the public.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said a decision on the charges against the two suspects has yet to be made, but that a review of the case will be completed either later Monday or early Tuesday.
Both are on $1 million bail and are expected to appear in court Tuesday pending criminal charges, according to Orange County Jail records. The arrests came a day after Aiden’s funeral in Yorba Linda.
“This senseless crime tore the heart of the community apart and brought it together in anger and absolute determination to find Aiden’s killers,” Orange County Superintendent Donald Wagner said. “The CHP and the attorney general’s office have been relentless in their pursuit of justice for Aiden. I congratulate them on these arrests and thank them for their dedication to serving the people of Orange County.”
The arrests followed a protracted manhunt by CHP investigators in the Santa Ana District and the CHP Frontier Division Investigative Services Unit with the help of other agencies.
“On behalf of the Chief of the Border Division, Omar Watson, and the Santa Ana District, we are very grateful for the professionalism and tireless commitment of our investigators who have worked on this case since day one to find those responsible for Aiden’s death,” the CHP commissioner said. Amanda Ray.
“While these arrests will not alleviate the pain of losing a mother, my hope is that the Leos’ family will have some peace of mind and rest assured that the CHP will work with the Orange County District Attorney to bring justice to Aiden.”
Watson also thanked the Southern California community for the “unspeakable outpouring of anxiety and hundreds of tips” that helped investigators find suspects.
“The administration has been in regular contact with the victim’s family and I assure you that they, like us, are committed to justice,” Watson said.
Just before or after 8 a.m. on May 21, Aiden’s mother, Joanna Cloonan, was driving a silver Chevrolet Sonic north on the 55th between Garden Grove Highway (22) and Chapman Street in Orange when a grumpy accident occurred on the road with the occupants of the vehicle. A white Volkswagen station wagon believed to be Erez and Lee.
Shots were fired from a pistol, and at least one shot hit the boy in the child’s right rear passenger seat. Officials previously said they believed a woman was driving with a male passenger.
Passersby, Reyes Valdivia and his wife stopped to help when they spotted Cloonan on the shoulder of the highway pulling her son from the passenger side of the car. He said she told them that when she tried to switch lanes to get out, she was cut off by a car with a man and a woman inside. She pointed at them and headed to the exit lane. Authorities believe the VW driver was maneuvering behind a Cloonan’s car, and a passenger fired a shot at the truck, injuring Aiden.
Cloonan called 911 and the boy was taken to Orange County Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
“Violence is an unacceptable way to settle our differences and because of this my son lost his life,” Cloonan said at Saturday’s funeral.
The CHP released the photo of the suspicious car – apparently a white 2018 or 2019 Volkswagen Golf Sportswagen with untinted windows, but no visible license plate. Florentino Oliveira, the CHP officer, said he was last seen east on Riverside Highway (91) toward Riverside.
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