A man accused of firing at a Los Angeles County sheriff’s SUV in Rolling Hills Estates last month was arrested in Kauai, Hawaii this week and will be extradited to face charges of attempted murder and assault on a peace officer, authorities announced Thursday, March 5.
A woman, who flew with the suspect to Kauai the day after the shooting, was also arrested and faces a charge of accessory after the fact, Sheriff Robert Luna and Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference.
The shooting occurred on Feb. 22 as a deputy was responding to the 600 block of Deer Valley Drive on a report of multiple vehicles speeding, the Sheriff’s Department has said.
Shane Mahoney, 39, fired an “assault-style rifle” at the deputy’s SUV, Luna said. The bullet penetrated the passenger-side trunk compartment and lodged in the back seat.
The deputy had just finished responding to the call and was driving away as the shot rang out. Mahoney allegedly fired from a balcony of a nearby apartment complex, prosecutors said.
The deputy, working an overtime shift, was not injured.
The shooting led to a lockdown of the surrounding neighborhood for hours while authorities searched for the suspects.
“This deputy … simply left his home, went to work, donned his uniform and like the amazing people that we have, they volunteer to do this,” Luna said. “We understand inherently this is a dangerous job, but nobody expects, nor should it ever happen, to be fired upon while wearing this uniform.
“This was not a random act, this was an attempted murder of a peace officer,” Luna continued. “We’re not going to tolerate this.”
Arianna Charmaine Mitchell, 22, was identified as the accomplice who helped Mahoney avoid capture.
Both suspects live in the same block where the shooting occurred, Luna said.
Detectives found surveillance video and learned that the suspects drove a white, four-door sedan to Los Angeles International Airport, then boarded a flight to Kauai, Luna said. They were arrested on March 3 with the help of Kauai police and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Further information about how Mahoney and Mitchell were identified as the suspects was not disclosed.
A search of the suspect’s home turned up an assault rifle, three semi-automatic firearms and ballistic evidence, Luna said.
The charges against both suspects were filed on Feb. 25, Hochman said. If convicted as charged, Mahoney faces a maximum sentence of 35 years to life in state prison, while Mitchell faces a maximum sentence of three years.
“Each one of these individuals thought they could run out of the city, out of the state … to Kauai,” Hochman said. “But the long arm of the law is long. This is a very small world. Whether we’re going to track you across a city, state or ocean, you will be found.”