Inset, top to bottom: Andres Adan Chavez and Saith Mendez (LA County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The 76 gas station where Chavez allegedly fatally shot Saith in front of his mother (Google Maps).
Law enforcement in California has apprehended a 20-year-old man suspected of murdering a 13-year-old boy in an unprovoked attack near a gas station earlier this week. Andres Adan Chavez was detained on Thursday and charged with one count of murder for the cold-blooded killing of Saith Mendez, who was shot dead in front of his mother while waiting for her to finish work, as reported by authorities.
Los Angeles Fox affiliate KTTV reported that deputies executed a traffic stop around 5:50 p.m. on Thursday on Whittier Boulevard, located less than a mile from the shooting scene, and detained Chavez on murder suspicion. He was booked into the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station without incident and is being held on a $2 million bond.
Sheriff Robert Luna provided an update on the investigation during a Thursday news conference held at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles.
“We are here today for two reasons. First, to seek justice for Saith and his family. Second, to get this violent individual who committed this cowardly act off of our streets,” the sheriff stated. “I mean, to murder an innocent 13-year-old in front of his mother the way he did. We need to, as a community, this is completely unacceptable. We need to get this guy off the streets.”
According to a news release, LA deputies were dispatched around 11:45 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, following a request for assistance from the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station concerning a shooting investigation at the 76 gas station in the 8800 block of Whittier Boulevard. Upon arrival, first responders found the victim, later identified as Mendez, who was declared dead at the scene.
The sheriff’s office stated that Saith was with his mother at the gas station while she was working the night shift as an attendant at 11:35 p.m. that evening. While waiting in his mother’s car, Saith “decided to briefly enter the gas station to speak to his mother.” He then exited the station shortly afterward.
“Moments after Saith left the gas station, a tan four-door vehicle drove into the gas station and stopped next to a gas pump,” the sheriff said. “The driver exited the vehicle, approached the service window, and began talking with Clara [Mendoza], the mom. The male suspect, who remained in the vehicle, was seen exiting the rear passenger seat and lingering around the area.”
Luna identified the suspect as Chavez.
“When Saith walked back to the gas station, he walked back past suspect Chavez,” Luna continued. “Saith did not engage with the suspect and from what we can tell, there was no confrontation between them before the shooting occurred. Unprovoked, suspect Chavez drew a firearm, took several steps towards Saith, and shot him at close range.”
Chavez then “stood over” the boy and fired multiple shots into Saith’s body before fleeing on foot into a nearby neighborhood.
The driver of the tan vehicle and a female passenger remained at the scene and were questioned by police before being released.
Authorities are urging anyone with information regarding the shooting or the whereabouts of Chavez to call the sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Those who prefer to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.
