A man was charged with two counts of murder on Tuesday in the shootings of two men killed outside of a Downey motel last week, authorities said.

Raymond Joseph Penland is seen in a photo released by authorities on June 30, 2018. He is accused of fatally shooting two men in Downey that same day.

Raymond Joseph Penland, 29, of Downey remains in custody after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed the charges, which include an additional enhancement of unlawful death by firearm, according to the Downey Police Department.

Penland was arrested on suspicion of homicide at 8:45 p.m. Saturday after authorities said he shot and killed two men in a parking lot at Rick’s Motel in Downey.

He fled after the shootings and later surrendered to SWAT officers following an hourslong standoff in an industrial area of Santa Fe Springs, authorities previously said.

Downey police officers arrived at the motel around 11:28 a.m. after a shots fired call and saw two men down in the motel parking lot. The victims were later determined to be dead from gunshot wounds.

Authorities said the suspect – revealed to be Penland – was involved with some type of dispute before the deadly shooting at the motel, located at 9415 Firestone Blvd. The shooting does not appear to be random act, authorities added.

Authorities have not released the names of the victims.

Catarina Frances Barajas, 25, and Vanessa Teresa Cardenas, 32, were initially wanted as persons of interest but were interviewed and released, said Downey police Sgt. Maria Villegas.

Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Detective Richard Garcia at 562-904-2330 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Police arrested 13 people on suspicion of failing to obey a dispersal order during what they described as an otherwise very peaceful demonstration over a labor dispute at Kaiser Permanente’s Downey Medical Center.

The planned demonstration by the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers — who’s members are embroiled in a labor dispute with Kaiser — took place from about 10:30 a.m. to noon, the Downey Police Department said in a written statement.

Demonstrators gathered at Independence Park before making their way to the hospital on Imperial Highway, just west of Bellflower Boulevard, police said.

Officers arrested 13 protestors”without incident” when they refused a police order to disperse, authorities said.

“Even though 13 people were arrested, the protestors were peaceful and very cooperative with law enforcement throughout the event,” the statement said.

Police said they monitored the protest and march to make sure it stayed safe.

A suspect has been arrested after allegedly firing shots in the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Downey Tuesday, in an incident that triggered an evacuation at the hospital and prompted a major response from law enforcement, officials said.

The incident began around 11:30 a.m. when the suspect began causing a disturbance at the hospital, located at 9333 Imperial Highway, according to Downey Police Department Chief Carl Charles.

Jesus Chavez is seen in a photo released Sept. 11, 2018, by the Downey Police Department.

When security approached the man — later identified as Lynwood resident Jesus Chavez — he threw a chair through a window inside a building, shattering the glass, Charles told reporters at mid-afternoon news conference. The situation escalated from there, with the suspect allegedly pulling out a handgun and opening fire.

Authorities have not been able to confirm how many shots were fired, with Charles only saying there were reports of six to seven.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which also responded to the incident, stated that Chavez "did fire rounds inside the building."

However, Downey police later said detectives on the case determined that, in fact, no shots had been fired inside the building.

Downey police officers initially responded to the hospital after receiving a report of a disturbance.  Police received updated information about a possible active shooter at the facility while they were en route to the scene, according to Charles.

Officers confronted the suspect immediately and he surrendered without incident, the police chief said. Chavez was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats.

A handgun was recovered at the scene.

Though no one was injured, the incident created mass panic and prompted the evacuation of several hospital buildings as first responders combed each floor, looking for possible victims or any additional suspects.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the incident unfolded.

"I heard coming from the second level a lot of commotion, which was windows being broken. It sounded like people fighting,” said Liz Reyes, who was on the building's first level waiting to get a blood test at the time.

Another witness who worked in the lab recalled someone running into equipment, knocking it down. That action "alerted a lot of people to get up and go see what this was," the woman told KTLA.

Security then swept through the floor, telling people to lock the doors and ushering them back into a windowless back room.

"Security and the staff members started saying that is was 'code silver,' which means it’s an active shooting. That’s when they immediately locked all the doors and they sent us to the back of the laboratory section," Reyes said.

The witness said she didn't realize the severity of the situation until the code silver was issued.

"So then I told everyone, 'OK, calm down,' we need to get to the back and get out of the way of windows just in case," she recalled.

The woman added that she didn't hear any gunshots fired; Reyes, however, said she heard at least one gunshot.

Sky5 video over the hospital showed numerous law enforcement personnel at the scene shortly after noon.

Dozens of people who were cleared from the medical center could be seen marching out single-file, some with their arms up, the aerial footage showed. It was not immediately known how many people were evacuated from the building, but there appeared to be hundreds waiting outside in nearby locations.

Steve Moore, a former FBI agent, told KTLA that despite that fact that there didn't appear to be any indications that it was there was actual active shooter, law enforcement still has a "standard due diligence" to search the building and ensure there are no occupants inside.

“You think you got it resolved but you’re not going to know if you have it resolved until you search every single room and the suspect is obviously not giving them enough information to make them comfortable with the fact that he’s acting alone," Moore said in a phone interview.

He explained another challenge facing first responders is making sure that the potential shooter is not among the evacuees.

"One of the things shooters have done in the past is open fire, get a lot of casualties then drop their weapon and then run out, pretending to be a victim," Moore noted.

Active shooter and other emergency situations are something the city prepares for, conducting practice drills every three to six months, according to Downey Mayor Shawn Ashton.

"We do try and prepare for this as much as we can," he told KTLA. "We want to at least make that we're giving them the tools necessary to help them stay safe."

The hospital had completed one such training recently, according to Charles.

As the investigation continued, all appointments at the hospital for Tuesday have been canceled, Kaiser said in an emailed statement. The hospital will also be offering behavioral health services to those who were in the hospital at the time.

"The safety of our patients, employees and physicians are paramount," the statement read.

By 5 p.m., the hospital said it was working to reschedule all the canceled appointments. The facility and its emergency and urgent care departments, along with most of the Orchard Medical Office Building, had reopened by that time, the hospital said in a statement.

"The safety of our patients, employees and physicians are paramount, and we’re grateful there were no injuries," the statement read.

Police described Chavez as 34 years old, however, he was listed in L.A. County booking records as 33 years old.

Bail was set at $50,000 pending Chavez' initial court appearance, scheduled Thursday in the Downey branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court.

KTLA's Marissa Wenzke and Brian Day contributed to this story.

Authorities were in pursuit of a reportedly stolen vehicle in the South Los Angeles area.

The chase began in Downey, California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Marroquin said. They detained the driver in the South Los Angeles area.

Officials provided no further information.

Police are searching for the perpetrators after a Downey couple was tied up by suspects who broke into their home before dawn Tuesday.

The incident, which was reported around 2 a.m. in the 9600 block of Clancey Avenue, is being investigated as a home invasion robbery, Downey police said in a news release.

Investigators have determined that multiple people forced entry into the residence through a rear door. They then tied up the victims before going through various rooms, ransacking the home, officials said.

Sgt. Mark Haxton told KTLA that the victims are an older couple.

One of the victims sustained minor injuries, while the other was unharmed.

The suspects, meanwhile, fled the home in an unknown direction.

Police did not have a description of the individuals, and detectives are still working to determine what was taken.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Carlos Bejines at 562-904-2334, or the Downey Police Department's main line at 562-904-2308.

An investigation is underway in Downey following the discovery of a man’s body alongside a street on Tuesday morning.

About 5 a.m., officers responded to the area of Woodruff Avenue near Stewart and Gray Road after receiving a report of a man down, according to a Downey Police Department news release.

When they arrived, officers found the man dead near the roadway, police said.

Investigators are unsure how he died, as there were no apparent signs of major injury; foul play also was not immediately suspected, according to the release.

The coroner’s office will determine a cause of death for the man, who is believed to be about 40 years old. Police have not yet identified him.

No further details were released.

Anyone with information is asked to call Downey police at 562) 904-2308 or Detective Richard Garcia at 562-904-2330. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers by dialing 800-222-TIPS.

A homicide investigation is underway after a worker was shot and killed at a liquor store in Downey Tuesday night.

The shooting was reported at the ASL Liquor and Market in the 8500 block of Paramount Boulevard about 10:15 p.m., a spokesperson for the Downey Police Department told KTLA.

Police responded to the scene and found a man down behind the cashier’s counter inside the store.

The victim, identified by L.A. County coroner's officials as 44-year-old Gurpreet Singh, of Cerritos, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Customers told KTLA that Singh, who went by the nickname GP, worked at the store and may have even had an ownership stake.

“I can’t believe it happened to him … He’s such a good guy,” Angela Bennett said.

Bennett, who lives in the area, said the incident is out-of-character for the neighborhood.

“Nothing like this ever happens over here," she told KTLA. "I’ve been here 14 years … never happened.”

Surveillance video from outside the store showed a man running up to the door and entering about the time of the shooting. The man left the store a short time later.

Police have not confirmed if the man in the video is a suspect in the shooting and have not given a description of the gunman.

It was unclear whether some type of robbery or attempted robbery may have led to the shooting, but investigators are looking into that possibility.

Investigators also noticed that a window on one side of the store had been broken.

Anyone with information was asked to call the Police Department at 562-904-2330. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Authorities released surveillance video on Thursday in the search for a gunman who shot and killed a clerk at a Downey liquor store earlier in the week.

Gurpreet Singh, 44, of Cerritos, died where he worked, in the ASL Liquor and Market at 8500 Paramount Blvd., after the gunfire erupted there around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday night.

The gunman sought in the killing of a Downey convenience store clerk is seen in a still from surveillance video captured by the store’s cameras and released by Downey police on May 9, 2019.

People who live nearby and frequent the shop told KTLA Singh went by the nickname GP and may have even had an ownership stake in the store.

Detectives still have not said whether the shooter had gone to the store with the intention of robbing it.

The 10 seconds of footage released Thursday begin with the man entering the store wearing glasses, jeans, black gloves and a black jacket, which he starts to reach into as he walks through the door.

The angle then shifts to a camera positioned above the clerk's counter, showing the assailant with a silver handgun already raised and apparently aimed at the victim. He appears to be saying something, but there is no sound on the video.

The next shot is of the gunman quickly backing away and running from the shop with the firearm still in hand.

Authorities have yet to release a detailed suspect description.

Anyone with information can contact the Downey police at 562-904-2308.

A man accused of killing a liquor store clerk earlier this week was in critical condition Saturday after he was wounded at the end of a wild pursuit that began in Maywood and escalated into a shootout in Vernon Friday afternoon.

The suspect, identified as 24-year-old Dylan Andres Lindsey of Torrance, underwent surgery at a local hospital for multiple gunshot wounds, Lt. Derrick Alfred with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told reporters late Friday.

Lindsey suffered at least two wounds, one of which is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, the Sheriff's Department said in a news release.

The pursuit and shootout unfolded Friday when Downey police tried to conduct a traffic stop on the suspect near a Maywood home, Downey Police Department Lt. Kathleen Mendoza said. Officers were following up on tips the department received after releasing surveillance video of an attempted robbery that turned deadly Tuesday night, Mendoza said.

The footage showed a man apparently pointing a handgun at 44-year-old Gurpreet Singh of Cerritos, a clerk at the ASL Liquor store at 8500 Paramount Blvd. Singh was shot and killed in that incident, authorities said.

Gurpreet Singh appears in an image provided by a family member on May 11, 2019.

On Friday, Downey police in Maywood saw the suspect get into a Toyota Prius, Mendoza said. The vehicle did not stop when the officers approached, and a chase ensued, the lieutenant said.

L.A. County sheriff's deputies soon became involved.

Aerial footage showed a man apparently opening fire at pursuing officers from the passenger window of the moving Prius. Gunfire struck two Downey police vehicles, but no officers were hurt, Alfred said.

Neither police nor deputies fired back at the shooter during the chase that spanned a freeway and surface streets, Alfred added. But when law enforcement managed to box in the Prius on Bandini Boulevard and Downey Road in Vernon about 2:45 p.m., gunfire erupted between the officers and the suspect.

The Prius then took off again before stopping a short distance away.  The driver, later identified by Downey police as 37-year-old Alison Hart of Redondo Beach, soon exited the bullet-riddled Toyota and surrendered just after 2:50 p.m. The woman sustained a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening, according to authorities.

Meanwhile, the male passenger stayed inside the Toyota until officers deployed a K-9 and pulled the man out nearly two hours later.

Authorities checked the homicide suspect's vitals and wrapped a bandage around his head, the video showed. He did not appear to be moving.

A firearm, which appears similar to the large-caliber handgun revolver used in the Downey killing, was recovered from the scene, the Sheriff's Department said. One bystander inside a truck near the Prius also sustained a superficial graze wound during the gunfire, according to officials.

Hart was arrested at the the scene. Investigators have yet to determine her relationship with the homicide suspect, Alfred said Friday.

A woman, later identified by police as Alison Hart of Redondo Beach, surrenders to authorities following a pursuit that ended in a shootout in Vernon on May 10, 2019. (Credit: Sky5)

She's being held at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood on $2 million bail, county inmate records show.

The Downey and Vernon incidents remain under investigation, and officials have searched the Maywood residence involved, as well as Hart's Redondo Beach home.

Singh, the clerk fatally shot at ASL Liquor in Downey, served as a Navy Reserve officer, according to his brother-in-law. He was married and left behind two sons who are 10 and 16 years old, the family member said.

KTLA's Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this report. 

A man suspected of killing a clerk at a Downey liquor store died on Thursday, nearly a week after apparently shooting himself during a pursuit where he exchanged gunfire with law enforcement, authorities said.

Dylan Andres Lindsey, 24, is seen in a May 26, 2017, booking photo released by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The suspect, 24-year-old Dylan Andres Lindsey, succumbed to the apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound around 6 a.m., according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Lindsey had been in the hospital since last Friday, after he was taken into custody following a dangerous pursuit that ended in near the intersection of Bandini Boulevard and Downey Avenue in Vernon.

Sky5 video captured the suspect leaning out the passenger-side window of a Toyota Prius and pointing a gun at pursuing officers during the chase.

He fired multiple rounds at sheriff's deputies, who returned fire when the pursuit ended, according to the release.

Lindsey apparently turned the weapon on himself after the gunbattle, according to the Sheriff's Department. Officials previously said he had at least two wounds, one of which was believed to have been self-inflicted.

The suspect was seen pointing a gun at pursuing officers during a chase on May 10, 2019 in Vernon. (Credit: KTLA)

The suspect was accused of shooting and killing 44-year-old Gurpreet Singh during an attempted robbery at the ASL Liquor and Market at 8500 Paramount Blvd. on May 7, authorities said.

Downey police officers were following up on tips received after the department released surveillance video of the deadly robbery attempt when they tried to initiate a traffic stop on the Prius last Friday afternoon. The car didn't stop, and officers initiated the chase.

The pursuit driver, identified as 37-year-old Alison Hart, has been charged with a count of accessory after the fact and fleeing a pursuing peace officers' motor vehicle while driving recklessly, according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.

Jehosua Ruvalcaba is seen in an image provided by the Downey Police Department.

A man on the run for years after allegedly shooting a friend in the neck in Downey was arrested in Mexico and is facing charges, officials said Tuesday.

Jehosua Ruvalcaba, 30, was quickly identified as a suspect after 28-year-old Andrew Martin Rosales was shot and killed while walking in the area of Paramount Boulevard and Stewart and Gray Road on Aug. 14, 2015, according to Downey police.

The suspect and victim were walking with two other men when an argument broke out that ended with Ruvalcaba pulling out a handgun and opening fire, investigators said.

Ruvalcaba was named in an arrest warrant a short time later, but he had escaped to Mexico and his whereabouts there were unknown, officers said.

After receiving a tip this July, detectives were able to track the suspect to the Mexican state of Jalisco. He was arrested there Aug. 16 with the help of U.S. Marshals and Mexican police.

Andrew Rosales is shown in an undated photo provided by his mother on Aug. 14, 2017.

Ruvalcaba has since been extradited to the U.S. and charged with murder, Downey police said.

The victim’s mother, Lisa Rosales, told KTLA her son had a troubled past but was turning his life around with education and a job when he was killed.

In pleading for information on Ruvalcaba’s whereabouts in August 2017, she said she had been concerned about Ruvalcaba’s friendship with her son.

“I hate the person that took my son’s life,” she said. “I can’t forgive him right now because he’s not caught.”

Ruvalcaba was scheduled to be arraigned in the case Tuesday, police said.

Inmate records show he was being held without bail.

Jim Rudometkin is shown in a photo from his real estate business website. He was killed Jan. 17, 2016, in a home-invasion at his Downey residence.

Four men were convicted Wednesday for their roles in a 2016 Downey home-invasion robbery that left a 59-year-old realtor dead, authorities said.

Paul Davis Misikei, 22, of Anaheim and Sakaopo Atanasio Flolau, 20, of Anaheim each pleaded guilty to a count of second-degree murder for the Jan. 17, 2016, death of 59-year-old Jim Rudometkin at his home in the 10300 block of  Lesterford Avenue, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a written statement. Both men face up to 15 years to life in state prison when they return to Los Angeles County Superior Court for sentencing on Jan. 16.

Henry Willie Sao, 31, of Long Beach, and Michael Anthony Harrod, 28, of Anaheim each pleaded no contest to a count of home-invasion robbery, prosecutors said in a written statement. They were immediately sentenced to six years in state prison each.

Jim Rudometkin was killed in a home invasion at his house in Downey, shown, on Jan. 17, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)

Misikei, Folau and Sao forced their way into Rudometkin’s home shortly after 11 a.m., authorities said. Harrod acted as a getaway driver, and was also accused of planning the robbery.

The robbers bound the victim while robbing his home, officials said.

When a neighbor interrupted the crime and called police, Harrod fled, leaving his three accomplices behind, according to prosecutors.

Downey Police Department officers arrived as the three remaining robbers jumped fence behind Rudometkin’s home and ran, police said shortly after the crime.

“When police entered the victim’s home, they found Rudometkin bound and unresponsive,” the District Attorney’s Office statement said. “The victim
was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene due to a heart attack.”

Officers found and arrested Mmisikei and Sao nearby. Harrod and Folau were found and taken into custody in the following days.

An autopsy found Rudometkin died from hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, Los Aneles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner records show. Based on the circumstances of the death, it was ruled a homicide.

Although Folau was 17 at the time of the crime, he was charged and tried as an adult.

Originally, Misikei, Sao and Folau also were charged with capital murder, home-invasion robbery and burglary with a person present. Misikei and Sao could have faced the death penalty if they had been convicted as initially charged. Because of his age, Folau faced a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Harrod was initially charged with murder, home-invasion robbery and burglary, and could have faced 25 years to life in prison if he had been convicted as first charged.

It was not clear whether Wednesday’s outcome was the result of a negotiated plea deal.

Detectives arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the death of a 6-year-old boy on Thursday evening, authorities said.

Tyler D'Shaun Martin-Brand of Downey has been booked on suspicion of murder, the Downey Police Department said Friday in a written statement. Police described him as an acquaintance of the child's mother, but provided no further details regarding the circumstances of the alleged killing.

Dayvon Taylor, 6, pictured in an undated photo provided by family.

The young victim died shortly after being brought to a Long Beach hospital with severe injuries, officials said. Police did not disclose where or how the boy was injured.

"This case is a serious and complex investigation and investigators are still in the process of gathering information, interviewing witnesses and processing evidence," according to the police statement. "As a result, no other details will be released at this time."

Family identified the boy as Dayvon Taylor, who turned 6 last month.

The boy's father, David Nicholson, said he was waiting for information about exactly what took place from detectives and coroner's investigators.

"Right now, I’m just putting the puzzle together and waiting for the detective and the coroner report, and basically trying to get through this time," Nicholson said.

Martin-Brand was the boy's coach at Normandie Avenue Elementary School in South Los Angeles, the father said.

"This is a senseless act by a person who calls himself a coach," Nicholson said. "All I know is that this guy explained that he was trying to chastise my son."

Nicholson said he was notified about 7 p.m. Thursday that his son had been hospitalized. "He wasn't breathing when I got to the hospital," he said.

Until investigators provide more information, "I’m in the blind on everything right now," Nicholson said.

Information regarding Martin-Brand's bail and initial court appearance was not available Friday night.

Anyone with information was asked to contact Downey police Detective David Van at 562-904-2386. Tips may also be submitted anonymously to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

Family members gathered in Inglewood Saturday to lay to rest a 6-year-old South Los Angeles boy who was allegedly beaten to death by a man described as an elementary school coach last month.

Dayvon "DayDay" Taylor was in the care of 23-year-old Tyler D'Shaun Martin-Brand when he suffered injuries that ultimately led to his death later in the day at a hospital, according to Downey Police Department officials and prosecutors.

"(Taylor) died on Dec. 26 after allegedly being severely beaten by Brand at his Downey apartment," the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said in a written statement.

The child had been in Martin-Brand's care for several days over the holiday break, prosecutors said. Family members described him as Taylor's coach at Normandie Avenue Elementary School  in South Los Angeles, where Taylor was a 1st-grade student. Downey police described the suspect as an "acquaintance" of the child's mother. Prosecutors described him as the boy's godfather.

Dayvon Taylor's small casket was adorned with a photo of the boy, as well as colorful characters from the popular video game "Fortnite."

"My son had a lot of love, a lot of love. And it's really touching that he can't be here to see it," father David Nicholson said.

"I loved my son to death. That boy got everything he wanted," said his mother, Kenya Taylor.

Martin-Brand faces charges of murder and assault on a child causing death.

He is scheduled to appear in Los Angeles County Superior Court Thursday to answer to the charges, Los Angeles County Superior Court records show.

Bail has been set at $2 million.

A fund has been established online to help the victim's family with expenses.

Mourners attend the funeral for 6-year-old Dayvon "DayDay" Taylor of South Los Angeles at a church in Inglewood on Jan. 11, 2020. (Credit: Nerissa Knight/KTLA)

A carjacking suspect was taken into custody after climbing onto an overturned car in Downey following a short police chase Friday evening, authorities said.

Officers spotted a vehicle they suspected was carjacked out of Los Angeles in the area of Patton Road and Firestone Boulevard and started following the driver, Downey Police Department Sgt. Kevin McCaster said.

The suspect car collided with another vehicle in the area of Old River School and Stewart and Gray roads and ended up on its side, McCaster said.

No one was injured in the crash, according to the sergeant.

The driver, described only as male, got out of the vehicle and stood on top of it as it lay on its side, surrounded by patrol vehicle, aerial video from Sky5 shows.

At one point, the suspect appeared to be singing, waving his arms and swaying, video shows.

He eventually climbed down the car and was detained by officers before being turned over to the Los Angeles Police Department, McCaster said.

No information on the alleged carjacking was available.

Authorities did not identify the suspect and no further details were available.

Two Montebello men each face decades in state prison after pleading guilty Monday to murder and a series of other charges for fatally shooting a Downey Police Department officer in the parking lot of the police station amid a spate of robberies and other violent crimes in 2015, officials said.

Steven Knott, 22, and Jeremy Anthony Alvarez, 25, both of Montebello, both pleaded guilty in Los Angeles County Superior Court to charges related to the seven-victim string of crimes that culminated with the deadly shooting of 29-year-old Officer Ricardo “Ricky” Galvez on Nov. 18, 2015, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

Galvez, a former U.S. Marine and five-year veteran of the Downey Police Department, was shot during an attempted robbery as he sat in his car, dressed in plain clothes, in a parking lot outside of the police station, investigators and prosecutors said. Knott and Alvarez were arrested by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives the following day.

Knott admitted to a count of first-degree murder and attempted robbery, along with the special allegation that he personally used a firearm in the crime, in connection with Galvez’s killing, district attorney’s office spokesman Ricardo Santiago said in a written statement. Alvarez pleaded guilty to a county of second-degree murder for the crime.

Additionally, both men admitted to a series of charges related to a list of other crimes that took place between October and November of 2015, prosecutors said. They include shooting at an inhabited dwelling in South Gate on Sept. 17, 2015; an attempted murder in Montebello on Oct. 15, 2015; as well as a street robbery in Paramount and a takeover robbery at a Bellflower cell phone store on Nov. 18, 2015, in the hours leading up to the attack on Galvez.

Knott and Alvarez also admitted to special allegations that the crimes were gang-related and that the involved firearms.

Both men were scheduled to return to court April 17. Knott faces up to 50 years to life in state prison, while Alvarez faces up to 30 years to life behind bars.

A third defendant in the case, Abel Diaz of Bellflower, was 16 years old at the time of the killing.

He was initially charged as an adult alongside Knott and Alvarez, but his case was referred back to juvenile court following the passage of California’s Proposition 57 in 2016.

A deal was then brokered in late-2018 in which Diaz admitted his role in the killing and is now scheduled to be released from juvenile detention before he turns 25 years old, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time.

Two people died and a man was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run following a violent crash on the 5 Freeway in Downey on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The collision took place about 2:40 p.m. along the southbound 5 Freeway at the Paramount Boulevard offramp, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Elizabeth Kravig.

A dashcam on another car caught the moments leading up to the deadly crash on video.

In the video, a white vehicle can be seen rear-ending a red car before the red car veers out of control and tumbles off the roadway and down an embankment, where it struck a tree.

Downey Police Department officers soon found the white car believed to have been involved in the crash in the area of Florence Avenue and Studebaker Road, CHP Sgt. Adam Carmichael told KTLA.

“The driver was interviewed, detained and later arrested,” the sergeant said.

CHP later identified him as 24-year-old Cash Rencanzone of Peoria, Arizona, who was driving a Fiat 500.

Rencanzone allegedly fled the scene on foot but a witness followed him, CHP said.

He was arrested on suspicion of hit-and-run, but investigators don’t believe alcohol or drugs played a role in the incident.

Authorities identified the female driver in the other vehicle, a 2004 Nissan Sentra, as 32-year-old Aide Bustamente of Huntington Beach. Her male passenger has not been named.

Both of them died at the scene, according to CHP.

Anyone with information about the crash can contact Officer Davis or Iniguez at CHP’s Santa Fe Springs area office at 562-868-0503.

Two Montebello men were sentenced Friday for killing 29-year-old Downey police officer Ricardo Galvez in the station's parking lot in 2015, officials said.

Steven Knott, 23, was sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison and his brother Jeremy Anthony Alvarez, 26, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

In March, Knott pleaded guilty to one count each of first-degree murder and attempted robbery with the personal use of a firearm for the killing of Galvez. Alvarez pleaded guilty to one count each of second-degree murder and attempted robbery for the officer’s murder.

Galvez, a former U.S. Marine who served two tours of duty in Iraq and a five-year veteran of the Downey Police Department, was dressed in plain clothes after working with the department’s K-9 team on Nov. 18, 2015, when he was fatally shot as he sat in his personal car in the police station parking lot, officials said.

“It looks like these guys were out looking for somebody to rob,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Lt. John Corina the day after the shooting.

At the time, investigators said they did not believe the two men, and Abel Diaz who was with them, knew they were near the police station or that Galvez was an officer.

Diaz, who was 16 years old at the time of the shooting, was also charged in the case. But in a 2018 deal brokered with prosecutors, he admitted to his role in the officer’s killing in juvenile court and was set to be released from detention by age 25. As part of the deal, prosecutors dropped their quest to move his case to adult court, where he would have faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Knott and Alvarez also admitted to an attempted murder in Montebello in October 2015, a takeover robbery of two victims at a Bellflower cell phone store, and a street robbery in Paramount shortly before Galvez's murder.

Knott also was convicted of shooting at a dwelling in South Gate in Sept. 2015.

The pair admitted multiple firearms enhancements and allegations that the crimes were committed in association with members of a criminal street gang, according to the DA's Office.

A former Downey police officer was charged in an alleged road rage incident that occurred in Long Beach in 2018 and involved two other vehicles, prosecutors announced Friday.

Peter Mendoza, 36, was charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of hit-and-run driving resulting in an injury to another person, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.

On Oct. 22, 2018, Mendoza, a Downey police officer at the time who was off-duty, was driving his truck in the Lakewood area where he allegedly struck a car with two people in it on a freeway onramp, causing the driver to lose control of his car and hit another vehicle.

Mendoza allegedly then fled the scene.

Both drivers and their passengers suffered moderate injuries.

Mendoza was scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

Prosecutors recommended that bail be set at $110,000, the DA's Office said. If convicted as charged, he faces a possible maximum sentence of five years and eight months in state prison.

The case remains under investigation by the California Highway Patrol.

An investigation is underway after a woman died in front of a home in Downey late Sunday night.

Police responded to the 11600 block of Lakewood Boulevard about 11:15 p.m. after someone reported an injured woman in the area, the Downey Police Department stated in a news release.

Arriving officers located an unresponsive woman with a head wound, according to the news release.

The woman, who was not been identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators believe the woman had left her vehicle and was possibly trying to get to a nearby house for help before collapsing outside, a spokesperson for the police department said.

The woman is not believed to be related to the area, the spokesperson said.

No further information about what caused the woman's death was immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Department at 562-904-2308. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS.