Man arrested for shooting suspected car thief in Riverside – Press Enterprise

RIVERSIDE – A man accused of gunning down a suspected car thief in Riverside, even though the victim did not take a vehicle belonging to the gunman, is scheduled to go on trial next week.

Tony Javier Ortiz, 41, of Perris was arrested last week as part of a Riverside Police investigation into the death of 35-year-old Alex Arzate of Riverside.

Ortiz is accused of murder, aggravated weapon possession and grievous bodily harm.

His first court appearance was Friday before Riverside County Superior Court Judge Walter Kubelun, who appointed him as a public defender and scheduled his arraignment for August 7 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Ortiz is being held at the Robert Presley Jail on $1 million bail.

According to police spokesman Ryan Railsback, Arzate broke into a Honda Civic in the Arlington neighborhood in west Riverside shortly after midnight Wednesday, and Ortiz was watching him.

“Investigators … believe Ortiz witnessed Arzate stealing the Civic, then pulled out a gun and shot Arzate as he drove away in the stolen car,” Railsback said.

He did not disclose who the Honda belonged to, but it was not Ortiz’s car.

According to Railsback, Arzate was struck in the head by the gunshots but was still able to drive a short distance to the 9100 block of Magnolia Avenue, where he crashed into several parked vehicles and a dumpster before coming to a stop.

Witnesses called 911 and a few minutes later, patrol officers and paramedics arrived at the scene. There they found Arzate slumped over the steering wheel, bleeding from the head wound.

He was taken to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died at 3:10 a.m. Wednesday.

Robbery-Homicide detectives identified Ortiz as the suspected shooter within hours. A search warrant was obtained and executed at his Brown Street home, and several firearms were seized, including the one believed to have been used in the shooting, Railsback said.

Ortiz has no previous felony convictions in Riverside County.

Background information on Arzate was not available.