Sergio Munoz ID'd as man behind deadly shooting, pursuit in Kern County, Calif., report says
(CBS) LANCASTER, Calif. - Sergio Munoz, a 39-year-old Ridgecrest, Calif. man, has been identified by police as the person killed by authorities following a deadly shooting and high-speed pursuit in Kern Countyearly Friday, reports CBS Los Angeles.
Authorities say Munoz killed a woman, injured a man and then held two people hostage in the trunk of his vehicle as he led law enforcement on an hour-long chase.
Neighbors and acquaintances told CBS Los Angeles that the incident may have been sparked by a drug debt.
On Munoz's Facebook page there was a post that read, "To all my friends... got tired of cops [lying] and putting me in jail. I just killed two snitches. U wanted me dead, now I will when these pigs find me and like a movie I will go," the station reports.
Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood said the suspect called Ridgecrest police early Friday and said he wanted to come to the department and shoot officers but because police had too many guns he would wreak havoc elsewhere.
In the phone call, the man also said he had a package he wanted to deliver to police, according to the sheriff. It was unclear if a package was found.
Police later responded to reports of shots being fired shortly before 5:30 a.m. in Ridgecrest. Officers on scene found an adult female, later identified as 22-year-old Brittany Matheny, fatally shot and another man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to the hospital and is in recovery, according to the station.
Nearly two hours later, a sheriff's deputy spotted Munoz's car. The suspect fired at least 10 times from inside his black Dodge Dart, and tried to run vehicles off the road. No motorists were hurt, Youngblood said.
At one point during the chase the suspect pulled over and the car's trunk popped open, revealing a man and woman inside. They appeared to shut the trunk, the sheriff said.
At the end, Munoz pulled over again on U.S. 395 and began shooting into the trunk. As many as seven officers opened fire, killing him.
The hostages were flown to a hospital. According to CBS Los Angeles, they are expected to survive.
Youngblood said Friday that the suspect apparently knew all of the victims but would not elaborate on a potential motive.
Complete coverage of the Kern County police chase and shootout on Crimesider
