 PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Two counts each of murder, second-degree robbery and one count of attempted murder have been filed against the 30-year-old man who went on a crime spree that left two people dead. Rhett McKenzie Nelson of St. George, Utah is scheduled for arraignment in the Foltz Criminal Justice Center Thursday. the charges include special allegations of multiple murders and murder by means of discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle and allegations of using a handgun in the commission of crimes, according to Ricardo Santiago of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Nelson is being held without bail. Those killed in Nelson’s crime spree are Dmitry Koltsov, shot dead in Central Los Angeles June 10 and Joseph Gilbert Solano, a 13-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The latter was shot inside an Alhambra Jack In the Box about an hour after the Los Angeles murder.
“Hours after shooting Solano, the defendant committed two robberies in Long Beach, one at a Shell gas station and the other at a 7-Eleven,” Santiago said. If convicted as charged, Nelson faces life in prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on the possibility of capital punishment will be determined at a later date, Santiago said. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Authorities announced the 13-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shot inside an Alhambra restaurant died Wednesday afternoon. Joseph Gilbert Solano, 50, passed away from injuries sustained in the June 10 shooting. A suspect, later identified as Utah man Rhett Nelson, was arrested and has yet to be charged. Solano was clinging to life since the shooting and was finally taken off life support Wednesday. He was waiting for an order at Jack In the Box, 2531 W. Valley Blvd., Monday after taking his mother’s vehicle to be serviced at a nearby Jiffy Lube when he was attacked.
Solano joined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 1999. He worked in the Court Services division for a year until switching careers as a firefighter with the City of Alhambra. He left the Alhambra Fire Department in 2001, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Alex Villanueva. Solano rejoined the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in 2006.  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives released the booking photo of the man believed to have shot and gravely wounded an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy. Detectives believe Rhett McKenzie Nelson, a 30-year-old Utah man, may have committed additional crimes since entering California in the first week of June and seek additional victims to come forward. Nelson may have also shot and killed a man in Central Los Angeles June 10 -- roughly one hour before puling the trigger on Joseph Solano, an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy waiting for an order at an Alhambra Jack In the Box.
Any potential victims or law enforcement agencies with information on Nelson are urged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Deputy Joseph Gilbert Solano is on life support after being shot Monday, June 10. PHOTO/Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect behind the shooting of an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy in Alhambra was identified as a missing Utah man. Rhett McKenzie Nelson, 30, from St. George, Utah, was detained by Long Beach Police, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Nelson apparently went missing in Utah May 27 and disappeared in a white 2012 Kia Sorento with only his cellphone. He has a history of opiate abuse, according to a man identifying himself as Rhett’s father, Bradley. Nelson was taken into custody by Sheriff’s deputies at 1 p.m. Tuesday. “Shortly after 10 a.m., the suspect went into a church in the city of Long Beach on Clark Avenue. From that church, he called his father in St. George, Utah. During that call, he referred to committing murder in Southern California,” according to Kent Wegener of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The father then called Long Beach Police and after triangulating Nelson’s location through a cellphone number provided by the father, officers found nelson driving away from the church, Wegener said.
Nelson arrived to SoCal during the first week of June, Wegener said.
Los Angeles County Deputy Joseph Gilbert Solano, 50, is in grave condition after being shot in the head while waiting for an order at an Alhambra Jack In the Box, 2531 W. Valley Blvd., June 10. Solano is on life support, Villanueva said. Deputies still believe at this point in the investigation that the shooting was random. Solano was dressed in plain clothes and wore nothing to indicate he was a deputy, Wegener said in a previous interview. Chief Michel Moore of the Los Angeles Police Department said his detectives are investigating Nelson’s possible connection to a fatal shooting that occurred around 4:50 p.m. in the 1900 block of 7th Street -- about one hour before he gravely wounding the deputy. In the Los Angeles shooting, a 30-year-old man was shot and killed after a brief exchange with a suspect who arrived in a vehicle. The suspect and vehicle matched those in the Alhambra shooting, Moore said. Although Nelson told his father about committing murder in Southern California, it is unclear if nelson was referencing the Alhambra and Los Angeles shootings. Solano’s family is awaiting further tests to decide the next course of action. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - A person has been detained and apparently matches the description of the suspect responsible for shooting and critically wounding an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy. At 10:40 a.m. Tuesday, Long Beach Police stopped and detained the driver. The man detained in Long Beach is being called a person of interest, according to a statement issued by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The person of interest was detained in the 2400 block of Granada Avenue in Long Beach.
NBC4 news reported earlier today that the person of interest was detained after a brief police pursuit. No other details are available. Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor LOS ANGELES - The suspect behind a brazen daylight shooting of an off-duty Sheriff’s deputy likely ditched most of the clothes he wore after fleeing the scene, the Sheriff’s Department said. The suspect is described as a 20-something white or Hispanic man standing around 5 feet 11 inches tall. After he shot the off-duty deputy, the suspect quickly exited, fled in a newer-model white SUV to a nearby neighborhood and changed to a black shirt and black pants, according to Lt. Kent Wegener of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Before changing clothes, the suspect wore sunglasses, a light-colored fedora, a burgundy buttoned short-sleeve shirt and slim blue jeans. The shooting occurred around 5:50 p.m. at Jack In the Box, 2531 W. Valley Blvd. The deputy was shot once while standing at the counter. The restaurant was occupied by customers at the time and witnesses were interviewed, Wegener said.  PHOTO/Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The deputy was dressed in plain clothes and his appearance would not have given any indication that he was a sworn officer of the law, Wegener said.
A home security camera caught the suspect changing clothes. Detectives have no known motive for the shooting. The exchange between the deputy and suspect was brief. The shooting was caught on camera, but no sound accompanies the video, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said. The suspect’s white SUV featured paper plates. Anyone with information on the suspect is urged to call the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Email Newsletter! | Advertise! | Donate!  PHOTO/Courtesy of the Arcadia Police Department. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - A missing Baldwin Park man who fled a family member in Arcadia was seen in Alhambra recently.
Matthew Munoz, 22, was spotted in December 17. His photo was taken by a resident and was confirmed to be Munoz, according to his family. He may still be in the greater San Gabriel Valley area, Acadia Police said in a written statement. Munoz was last seen at Westfield Santa Anita Mall, 400 S. Baldwin Ave., Tuesday, December 11 in the late afternoon. Munoz suffers from a mental condition that causes him to revert to a “child-like” state, according to the Arcadia Police Department. Munoz is known to frequent County Park, LA Fitness, and Santa Anita Mall. Munoz’s condition is short-lived and he reverts back to normal, Arcadia Police said. Munoz is a non-dependent adult. He carries no cell phone or cash with him. Munoz is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, has black hair, a mustache and beard and brown eyes. Anyone with information on Munoz's whereabouts is urged to contact the Arcadia Police Department at 626-574-5156. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). |
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