A 21-year-old man suspected of a freeway shooting in Boyle Heights in October 2024 that killed a 29-year-old man and injured another before fleeing to Mexico has been arrested and extradited to the United States to face murder charges, police announced Thursday.
Christian Rojas of Bellfower was located in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico on Tuesday, with coordinated efforts from the U.S. Marshals Service, which arrested Rojas in connection with the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Encarnacion Escobedo on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway near Lorena Avenue on Oct. 10, 2024, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Further investigation revealed that another individual, identified as 47-year-old Joshua Rojas Sr. of Downey, was connected to the fatal attack. He was taken into custody on Oct. 22, 2024, on suspicion of murder and is awaiting trial, authorities said.
Detectives assigned to the Southern Division Major Crimes Unit initially responded to the freeway after receiving reports of shots being fired. Authorities said the two suspects had fled the scene before officers arrived. Christian Rojas fled the country to Mexico, prompting a $4.3 million bail warrant to be issued for his arrest.
”CHP detectives requested assistance from the USMS Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend Rojas. Through coordinated international efforts, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said in a statement, adding that U.S. Marshals Service officials worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him.