Arrest made in deadly shooting of 13-year-old boy at Pico Rivera gas station

PICO RIVERA, Calif. (KABC) -- Authorities Thursday arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting a 13-year-old boy at a Pico Rivera gas station where his mother was working.

Andres Chavez was arrested on suspicion of murder for allegedly killing Saith Israel Toledo Mendez, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Chavez was taken into custody just before 6 p.m. when he was stopped in the 9500 block of Whittier Boulevard in Pico Rivera, sheriff's officials said in a news release. Chavez is being held on $2,000,000 bail.

Earlier on Thursday, authorities identified Chavez as the suspect in the shooting.

Authorities on Thursday identified the suspect wanted in connection with the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy who was waiting for his mother at the Pico Rivera gas station where she was working.

Speaking at a morning news conference, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna asked for the public's help in finding Chavez.

Authorities alleged he was in a rear passenger seat of a tan four-door sedan that drove up to the gas station pump and parked before the shooting.

The incident was reported shortly after 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the 8800 block of Whittier Boulevard, between Paramount and Rosemead boulevards. The wounded teen was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

The driver of the car exited and began talking to Mendez's mother, Clara, at the service window, Luna said.

The teen had been waiting in his mother's car for her to finish her shift, but went inside the station to speak with her. He then walked out and past Chavez, who had exited the sedan and was lingering about the station, Luna said.

"Unprovoked, suspect Chavez drew a firearm, took several steps toward Saith and shot him at close range," Luna said. Clara watched, he said, as the gunman shot her child "in the back without prior interaction."

After the boy collapsed, the suspect allegedly stood over him and fired multiple rounds into him before fleeing on foot into a nearby residential area, Luna said. The driver of the tan car and a female passenger remained at the scene and were questioned and released pending further investigation.

Luna apologized for detailing the crime at the news conference with the boy's mother and other family members present, but said he had discussed the matter with Clara, who did not speak to reporters.

"We are here for two reasons," Luna said. "First to seek justice for Saith and his family. Second, to get this violent individual who committed this very cowardly act off of our streets."

The sheriff called Saith a youngster with "a bright, promising future" whose life was taken too soon. He was one of five children and enjoyed video games and playing basketball with friends.

A GoFundMe page has been created to help the teen's family pay for his funeral expenses.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting can also call the sheriff's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or go to lacrimestoppers.org.

In an interview with ABC7, a woman named Christine, who said she knows the victim's mother, reacted to the fatal shooting.

A 13-year-old boy was shot and killed at a gas station in Pico Rivera, authorities confirmed.

"We thought our city was improving but I guess not, because they're coming around doing this," said Christine, who declined to give her last name. "He was a little boy. He was big but he was young. What could he have done to them, to provoke them to come and do something stupid like this?"

Meanwhile, a man was shot and killed on Thursday at a Shell gas station on Washington and Passons boulevards, just a few miles down from Saturday's shooting.

It's unclear if the shootings are connected. Both incidents remain under investigation.

City News Service contributed to this report.