BPD: Man arrested in killing on Union Ave.
Bakersfield Police arrested a suspect they believe shot and killed a man on Thursday night in the 1400 block of Union Avenue.
According to a news release from the BPD, the incident occurred at 10:06 p.m. when officers responded to reports of a shooting and located a victim dead at the scene.
Officers arrested 19-year-old Manuel Rogelio Madrid, who BPD said was fleeing the scene. The news release said a firearm was recovered.
Police said a second suspect was involved in the shooting and remains at large.
The Kern County coroner’s office identified the victim as 32-year-old Juan Manuel Andrade Fernandez Jr.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact Detective K. McNabb at 326-3873 or the BPD at 327-7111.
A man who was involved in a single-vehicle rollover accident on Thursday night died later in the evening at Kern Medical.
According to a Bakersfield Police Department news release, the incident happened just after 9:20 p.m. in the 6000 block of District Boulevard.
The Kern County coroner’s office identified the victim as 34-year-old Edgar Raymun Huerta Gutierrez.
Police said Gutierrez was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was able to crawl out before being taken to the hospital.
The news release stated that speed appeared to be a factor in the incident and it was unknown if the driver was impaired.
Anyone with information is asked to call the BPD at 327-7111.
Bakersfield Police are requesting community assistance identifying two suspects in a theft incident that occurred Feb. 17.
According to a BPD news release, the incident took place at 4:22 a.m. in the 3200 block of Maywood Drive when the men stole an item from a vehicle. BPD described the suspects as:
• Light complected man wearing a blue button-down shirt, black polo style shirt with white stripes, and a black hat with a white design.
• Heavy set man with a medium complexion and short dark hair. He was wearing a black T-shirt and black face cover.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call Detective Richardi at 326-3858.
A Shafter man was killed in a motorcycle crash this week near the intersection of E.
Lerdo Highway and Vultee Street. According to a report from the Kern County coroner’s office, 21-year-old Jonathan Isaiah Rosales Montes was the operator of a motorcycle that crashed into a truck at 3:37 p.m. March 9. He died at the scene of the incident, the report said.
A man accused of beating
his roommate to death with a prosthetic leg has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, the Kern County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday.
The DA says Paul Lujan, 43 at the time of his arrest, was living with Lawrence Olivas, 68, at Betty’s Home, a local board and care facility for adults with mental and physical disabilities. Lujan had a history of mental illness and uses a prosthetic leg and a wheelchair, according to a news release.
While Olivas was sleeping, on May 9, 2019, the DA says Lujan used his prosthetic leg to beat Olivas in the head. Olivas suffered multiple facial fractures and severe internal head trauma, the release said.
Olivas died of his injuries two months after the attack.
Lujan initially claimed he acted in self-defense, the DA said. However, the Bakersfield Police Department located corroborating evidence and spoke with multiple witnesses. Additional statements made by Lujan after his arrest also contradicted previous statements, according to the DA.
Lujan faces a 15-year-to-life sentence. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13.
Deputy DA Gina Pearl handled the case.