RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KNX) — A Riverside man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of a Rancho Cucamonga man on a Montclair freeway nearly 20 years ago, authorities announced Wednesday.
The shooting occurred shortly before midnight on Aug. 24, 2022, on the 10 Freeway east of Central Avenue. Responding officers with the Montclair Police Department discovered 27-year-old Julian Eugene Akens suffering from a gunshot wound inside a car that had crashed into a right shoulder barrier just east of the off ramp.
Officers administered first aid before Akens was transported to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Witnesses reported a verbal altercation between a suspect and akens that resulted in gunfire from the suspect’s car. No arrests were made at the time.
In early 2022, however, a person who knew Luis Castillo, 41, of Riverside, reported a tip to Montclair police regarding his possible involvement in the incident.
“We started looking into it and started seeing a lot of things that lined up from the information we had from witnesses 20 years ago,” Montclair Police Det. Joshua Garabedian told The Riverside Press Enterprise.
Investigators combed through old booking photos, reviewed witness statements, and conducted initial interviews, uncovering “overwhelming” evidence implicating Castillo as the suspected shooter, Garabedian said.
Garabedian was arrested during a traffic stop on March 18 in Norco. He was subsequently interviewed and booked into jail.
Castillo was being held on $1 million bail, according to San Bernardino County jail records.
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