[symple_googlemap title=”Downey robbery” location=”0300 block of Lesterford Avenue, Downey, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”16″]
Downey Police Monday sought public help to find a teenage suspect in a home invasion robbery that ended with the slaying of a homeowner who authorities believe was deliberately targeted in the crime.
Two other suspects were in custody.
Officers sent about 11:15 a.m. Sunday to the home in the 10300 block of Lesterford Avenue were told that men were seen running from the area, according to Downey police Sgt. Terry Goeckner.
A witness saw two suspects contact the homeowner near the side door and force him back into his home, police said. The witness said a third person entered the home during the robbery.
The officers gave chase and apprehended two men but the third suspect got away, Goeckner said.
“We then made entry to the possible victim’s residence and inside discovered a deceased male adult,” the sergeant said. “We haven’t determined the cause of death, but it’s being treated as a homicide.”
Police did not immediately release the man’s name, but neighbors told ABC7 the victim was 59-year-old Jim Rudometkin, a local Realtor who had lived alone since the death of his father.
He was not shot, police told the station.
Police identified the two suspects in custody as Henry Willie Sao, 28, of Long Beach and Paul Darvis Misikei, 19, of Anaheim. Both were booked on suspicion of homicide.
The suspect still at large was described as Asian or Pacific Islander, about 17 years old, 5 feet 8 and 160 pounds, with bushy hair. He was wearing a button-down orange or red shirt, blue jeans and black-and-white tennis shoes, police said.
The suspect vehicle was a white older-model sedan driven by a male, police said.
“Further information gathered during this investigation points to the victim being specifically targeted by the suspects,” police Lt. Alex Irizabal said. “We do not believe this was a random crime.”
Anyone with information on the case was urged to call Downey police at (562) 904-2308; Detective Paul Hernandez at (562) 904-2368; or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).
—City News Service