3 suspected gang members arrested in connection with Long Beach street vendor killing – Press Telegram

In March, community members lay flowers and candles near Locust Park in memory of a street vendor who was struck and killed by a ricochet bullet near Eagle Street and Locust Avenue. (Hunter Lee, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Three suspected gang members have been arrested on suspicion of shooting at members of a rival gang in Long Beach and then beating and killing a popular street vendor earlier this year, authorities said.

Long Beach Police announced on Monday, July 22, the arrests of Raylon Deshawn Akers, 23, of Los Angeles, Rahman Snook Abdallah, 19, of Long Beach, and James Arthur Havlicheck, 34, of Lakewood.

Akers and Abdallah, who were arrested Thursday, were identified as the shooters by Long Beach Police Chief Wally Hebeish. They were arrested on suspicion of murder and held on $2 million bail. Havlicheck was arrested Friday on suspicion of being an accessory after the fact and held on $1 million bail.

Yener Hudiel Ramirez-Miranda, a 37-year-old from Wilmington, was working in the 100 block of Eagle Street, near Locust Avenue, around 4 p.m. on March 20. Akers and Abdallah allegedly fired shots at rivals, Hebeish said.

According to a medical examiner’s report, Ramirez-Miranda died of gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

The following day, local residents erected a memorial nearby.

“Mr. Ramirez-Miranda was a father (and) husband and a familiar face to those he served in our community,” Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson said at the news conference. “He was a beloved, hard-working member of our community.”

“Street vendors like Mr. Ramirez-Miranda bring so much life and culture to Long Beach,” Richardson continued. “We must continue to support them and ensure their safety.”

Hebeish said surveillance video proved “critical” in identifying the suspects. Detectives also executed six search warrants in Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Lakewood and Los Angeles on Thursday, finding six firearms, but it is not yet known if any of them were used in the shooting, the police chief said.

“We have some of the most experienced homicide investigators in the country,” Hebeish said. “They did a great job interviewing everyone who was there and taking surveillance footage.”

The three suspects are gang members with criminal histories, Hebeish said. These include convictions for car theft and carrying a concealed weapon, shootings at occupied homes and fleeing from police. All three are prohibited from possessing a weapon due to a previous conviction, the police chief added.

Other people who were in the area at the time of the shooting have been identified, Hebeish said, but their roles and whether they are suspects are still being investigated.

It is not known how many people were affected and whether they were on foot or in a vehicle.

Family members of Ramirez-Miranda attended the press conference but declined to speak publicly.