New footage captures an Inglewood man desperately waving down firefighters before he was shot and killed while trying to stop an alleged catalytic converter theft earlier this week.
Juan “Johnny” Sanchez, a beloved father of two who recently became a grandfather, was leaving for work a little after 3 a.m. on Tuesday morning when he confronted culprits who appeared to be stealing a catalytic converter from a neighbor’s car.
Newly released Ring camera footage shows Sanchez trying to flag down a passing fire truck for help moments before the deadly confrontation.
“They drove right by the crime scene, and he was shot in the chest by the criminals,” Sanchez’s sister Susana told KNX News’ Nataly Tavidian.
Susana said she believes the fire truck was on its way to an emergency and doesn’t fault the crew for not stopping, but she hopes the truck may have been equipped with video cameras that could help solve the crime.
“It would be a blessing to know that maybe they're able to help out with this investigation, but our focus is on just finding the criminals at this point,” she said.
Video from the scene shows the suspects, described as two males, fleeing in a gold 2002 to 2006 Toyota Camry with tinted windows and a sunroof.
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Anyone with information was asked to call homicide Detective Luis Rodriguez at 310-412-5124 or, after hours, the department's watch commander at 310-412-5206.
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