On Tuesday, authorities caught Deonte Murray, aged 36, carjacking in Lynwood.
Murray led the officers on a long chase, with authorities eventually catching him near an apartment building where he allegedly was hiding out.
The LA County Sheriff’s Department has addressed online speculation that Murray is linked to the Compton gunman. Speculation arose because of the large response to Murray’s high-speed chase.
An armed SWAT team showed up to the scene to help locate and catch Murray. However, according to the LA County Sheriff, Alex Villanueva, has called this speculation false. Reportedly, Murray has no connection with Compton Gunman, who shot two police officers last Saturday night.
The gunman shot deputies Claudia Apolinar, aged 31, and her male colleague, aged 24, multiple times. Both deputies were sitting in a patrol car outside Metro Blue Line station near Willowbrook Avenue and Oak Street Saturday.
According to CCTV footage, the gunman, a black male between the ages of 28 and 30, walked to the police car and shot the officers at close range. Afterward, he took off on foot. This was around 10:00 PM.
Multiple law enforcement resources were called to find the suspect, including the SWAT team, bomb squads, K-9 units, and helicopters. Luckily, both Apolier and her colleague are in stable condition, having been taken to the hospital on time.
With Murray’s arrest, locals conjectured that the two cases were connected, particularly since Murray matches the description. Local news channels gave conflicting reports, with some claiming that authorities confirmed a connection between Murray and the Compton gunman.
However, department officials have issued the following statement:
“At this time there is no information that would lead us to believe that he is involved in the shooting of our deputies.”
The search for the Compton gunman is still underway. Sheriff Villanueva has set a $200,000 reward for anyone who catches the gunman.