Authorities arrest third suspect in Long Beach Metro homicide at LAX
Hispanic Gael Cruz Gonzalez was arrested as he was about to board a flight to Mexico; the Hispanic is suspected in connection with the April 12 stabbing homicide of Fernando Polita.
Authorities arrested a third suspect at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in connection with a homicide committed on a Metro train in Long Beach.
In a statement, the Long Beach Police Department reported that Hispanic Gael Cruz Gonzalez, 21, a Compton resident, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as he attempted to board a flight at LAX bound for Mexico.
Cruz-Gonzalez was taken into custody for allegedly being linked to the April 12 murder of Luis Fernando Polita.
Polita was stabbed to death on a Metro Blue Line train in Long Beach.
The victim was stabbed several times in the upper body, wounds that caused his death after he was treated by paramedics who attended him in the train car and transported him to a hospital.
According to investigations, Polita took the train outside of Long Beach and was attacked by three men who boarded the train after it arrived in the city.
🚨News Release: *Update* Murder Investigation Arrests – 100 Block of East 1st Street
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— Long Beach PD (CA) (@LBPD) June 20, 2023
The Hispanic man was immediately assaulted by one of the attackers with a knife, and they subsequently escaped on foot when the train stopped at a station.
Days after the homicide, two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of involvement in the crime.
Authorities charged Akili Collins, 18, and Melake Daniel, 19, as suspects in Polita’s murder.
The investigation into the motive for the stabbing is ongoing, but detectives suspect it was the result of a confrontation on the train.
Cruz-Gonzalez was booked into the Long Beach City Jail and is in the custody of authorities on $2 million bail.
Collins’ bail was set at $2 million, and Daniel’s bail was set at $1 million.
Anyone with information regarding this case may contact Long Beach homicide detectives at 562-570-7244.
To file an anonymous tip, contact LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.