A 23-year-old Long Beach woman was arrested for allegedly providing aid to a man who has been charged with murder in an apparent gang-related shooting, authorities said Thursday, July 23.
Maria Urieta, who police say was aware of the murder, was arrested Wednesday about 6:55 p.m. in the 400 block of West Broadway, between Magnolia and Chestnut avenues, according to the Long Beach Police Department.
Urieta “provided aid to Juan Lopez to protect him from trial, conviction or sentencing,” police alleged.
According to a press release from the Long Beach Police Department, “they anticipate presenting their case to the district attorney’s office late this week for filing consideration.”
Lopez, 20, was charged in the June 29 killing of 33-year-old Soktear Phuy. He is also facing three counts of attempted murder stemming from an incident that occurred two days prior to the fatal attack, as well as an allegation that he used a gun.
See related: Man killed in possible gang shooting in Long Beach
Two other men — Brandon Conrad Garcia, 23, of Hawaiian Gardens, and Andrew Miranda, 29 — are charged alongside Lopez in the three attempted murders on June 27 and are also facing gun allegations. Garcia is facing an additional attempted murder count related to a June 28 incident, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
All three men have appeared in a Long Beach courtroom but did not enter pleas. They are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.
See related:3 men arrested on suspicion of murdering Long Beach man in Washington neighborhood
The fatal shooting was reported about 7:40 p.m. June 29 in the 1400 block of Rose Avenue. Responding officers found Phuy lying in the courtyard of a Long Beach apartment building with gunshot wounds to his chest. Paramedics took him to a hospital, where he died.
Lopez and Garcia were arrested earlier this month, booked on suspicion of murder and named by police in connection with Phuy’s killing, along with a third man, Richard Frias, 20, of Long Beach. Frias was booked on suspicion of murder and possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell but was not charged in the criminal complaint against Lopez, Garcia and Miranda.
“The exact motive for the shooting is currently unknown,” police said at the time of the arrests. “However, the incident is being investigated as gang-related.”
Miranda was arrested the following day.
*Map provided shows area near where the shooting occurred in the 1400 block of Rose Ave. Not the exact location.*
