Man Shot and Killed Confronting Car Thief

Los Angeles: John Rocha, 39, was murdered this morning while confronting a car thief, who was attempting to burglarize Rocha’s car in the Mar Vista area.

At about 3:00 a.m., the victim, a grocery store manager, heard a commotion near his apartment carport in the 12600 block of Mitchell Avenue. When he went outside to investigate, he encountered an armed man, who shot and killed him.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where he died of his injuries.

Authorities described the gunman as a Hispanic man, 18-25 years of age. He was last seen running east through the alley.

The victim was survived by his three children.

Anyone with information regarding this crime is asked to call Pacific Homicide Detectives at 310-482-6369 or 310-482-6313. On weekends and during off-hours, call the 24-hour toll free number at 1-877-LAWFULL (529-3855).