A 33-year-old man was arrested Wednesday, Aug. 12, in connection with the death of a Long Beach liquor store employee who was run over while clinging to the robbery suspect’s vehicle, police said.
See related: LBPD Releases Video Footage of Hit-and-Run Driver Who Fled Liquor Store Robbery
Jamal Darby was arrested near his Los Angeles home in the 1200 block of West 57th Street, near South Budlong Avenue, about 10:30 a.m., according to the Long Beach Police Department.
He was driving the car that detectives believe struck 57-year-old Victor Talavera following a July 24 robbery at the liquor store where the victim worked in the 300 block of West Anaheim Street, police said.
Darby was booked on suspicion of murder, robbery and burglary, all originating from the same incident, according to LBPD, and was being held on $2 million bail, according to police, who said his vehicle was impounded to be processed for evidence by the Forensic Science Division.
“In his efforts to stop the thief, he (Talavera) climbed on the hood of the suspect’s vehicle,” according to a Long Beach Police Department statement. “The suspect drove with the pedestrian on the hood for approximately three blocks before maneuvering the vehicle to get the pedestrian off the hood.”
Talavera fell onto the eastbound lanes of Anaheim Street, and the driver of a utility van stopped, apparently to render aid, police said.
Initially, investigators thought the utility van struck the suspect and drove away.
When officers arrived on the scene, they found the victim in the eastbound lanes of Anaheim Street, just west of Magnolia Avenue. He died at the scene.
