Two people were arrested in a fatal suspected road rage shooting in Orange County, California that killed a 6-year-old boy last month.
Aiden Leos was sitting in a booster seat as his mother drove him to kindergarten on California Highway when he was shot on May 21, CNN previously reported. He died at the hospital.
“While these arrests will not ease the pain of a mother’s loss, my hope is for the Leos family to have some peace of mind and to rest assured the CHP will work with the Orange County District Attorney to bring justice for Aiden,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said in the release.
The suspects were identified as Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, in a news release from the California Highway Patrol issued Sunday night.
The suspects were arrested at their home in Costa Mesa, and “are expected to be charged with murder,” the release said.
According to the Orange County Jail roster, Eriz and Lee are both being held on a $1 million bond and are scheduled to appear in court Monday.
CNN has not yet determined if they have legal representation.
Arrest made after ‘intense manhunt’
Aiden’s sister Alexis Cloonan had made an emotional plea for people to help identify her brother’s killer.
“Please help us find the people that did this to my little brother. He’s only six and he was so sweet,” Cloonan said through tears after the shooting.
“There was road rage on the freeway and someone pulled out a gun and shot my little brother in the stomach,” she told reporters. “He said, ‘Mommy my tummy hurts,’ so she went and she picked him up and he was bleeding on her. She had blood on her clothes.”
Police said in the release announcing the arrests that the shooting occurred after a “perceived unsafe lane change.”
A reward for information in the case had grown to $450,000 last week after the Costa Mesa City Council voted unanimously to add $50,000 to the reward fund.
Officials have not said if anyone will receive the reward money following the arrests.
The arrests come after investigators conducted “an intensive manhunt using the resources of allied agencies, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, and most importantly, leaders within the Orange County/Southern California communities,” according to the release.
CHP Border Division Chief Omar Watson thanked the community for its “‘indescribable outpouring of concern and hundreds of tips that helped investigators find the killers,” the release said.
“The Department has been in regular contact with the victim’s family and I assure you they, like us, are committed to seeing justice served,” he added.
CNN Affiliate KCAL spoke with community members following the arrest Sunday at a memorial site for the young boy.
“Every time I pass the freeway, I want to cry,” Jessie Palomo told the affiliate. She and her children lit candles at the memorial. “This is now a place that everyone knows about, sadly, in a sad, tragic way. But as a community, we’ve always got to stand together.”
Community member Cheryl Gish told KCAL the arrest has brought some justice but won’t bring Aiden back.
She and her husband also visited the memorial site for Aiden on an overpass above the 55 Freeway where he lost his life, the affiliate reported.
“I’m thankful that they have somebody in custody,” Gish said, according to KCAL. “It doesn’t bring the little boy back, little Aiden’s gone, but I’m so thankful some justice will be served.”
