Police Arrest 5 in Eastlake Shooting Involving Federal Task Force Agent

Chula Vista, CA — Police have identified five men who were arrested Tuesday in connection with an Eastlake-area strip mall shooting involving a federal agent that ultimately left a sixth man dead.

Chula Vista police initially responded about 2 p.m. Tuesday to the scene at 2310 Proctor Valley Road when they received calls of shots fired and a request to assist a Homeland Security Investigations Federal Drug Task Force known as Operation Alliance, according to a statement Wednesday morning from the Chula Vista Police Department.

"During the operation, one of the [drug] trafficking suspects assaulted an HSI agent," police said in the statement. "Robbery is considered a motive for the assault. During the assault, the agent was forced to fire his handgun at one of the suspects. Two vehicles with several suspects fled the scene prior to patrol officer’s arrival."

• Eastlake Shooting Involving Federal Agent Leaves 1 Dead
  

The shooting victim — whose identity has yet to be made public — was taken to the Scripps Mercy Hospital, where he died of his injuries. 

Police said Jesus Rizo, 20, Rafael Morataya-Aguilar, 19, and Jovani Bernal-Moreno, sped away from the parking lot in a white Ford Focus that they wound up crashing in the 2200 block of Huntington Point Court. 

Police received an unconfirmed report of an unsuccessful attempted carjacking in the area of the crash, but were able to eventually locate all three men in the vicinity.

Back at the shopping center, where a lock down was in place, police found a fourth man, 31-year-old Sergo Arias-Ibarra, hiding in the trunk of a car.

A fifth person, 22-year-old Miguel Parra, was later taken into custody at the U.S.-Mexico border, police said.

The men were all arrested on suspicion of robbery, possession of marijuana for sale and conspiracy.

The federal task force agent involved in the shooting was transported to the hospital for evaluation and was later released. 

The officer-involved shooting remained under investigation by the Chula Vista Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

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