LAPD make arrests connected to April 28 incident
Police recently arrested three suspects in connection with the shooting and attempted murder of a homeless man on the Venice Beach Boardwalk.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), on April 28 around 4:27 a.m., a shooting occurred near the 600 block of Ocean Front Walk.
“The suspect approached the victim, a homeless man, then aimed a semi-automatic handgun and shot at the victim three times. As the victim crawled away, the suspect shot at the victim for a 4th time,” the LAPD said.
The suspect and two female accomplices then entered a 2020 Jeep Compass and fled southbound on Speedway Avenue.
The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Later that morning, around 4:46 a.m., residents near the 1200 block of Palms Avenue reported a vehicle fire in the rear alley. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene around 5 a.m. and discovered a 2020 Jeep Compass fully engulfed in flames. In addition, the suspects in the shooting were seen fleeing from the fire. LAFD Arson investigators determined that the Jeep was intentionally set on fire.
LAPD Pacific Area detectives later identified Nichalous Reynolds, a 33-year-old Los Angeles resident, Blanca Marcela Lopez, a 31-year-old female from Inglewood, and Amber Manchel, a 27-year-old of Los Angeles woman, as suspects in the shooting and attempted murder of the homeless man.
According to the LAPD, detectives believe the shooting was gang related.
Last week, on May 17 and May 18, Pacific Area detectives and investigators from LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Division, arrested Manchel in Venice and Reynolds and Lopez in Inglewood. During Reynolds’ arrest, detectives discovered a Rifle, ammunition, and other evidence, according to police.
On May 20, 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office charged Reynolds with one count of attempted murder, one count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, one count of arson, one count ignition of a destructive device, and one count of driving without the owner’s consent. The District Attorney’s Office also charged Lopez and Manchel with one count each of accessory to attempted murder.
