SANTA MONICA—Manuel Jaramillo-Heredia, 52, who was one of the suspects arrested for a shooting that occurred in downtown Santa Monica in January, had his case dismissed due to technicalities.
The hearing occurred at the Los Angeles County Superior court on February 9, do determine if Jaramillo-Heredia was booked into the sheriff’s database under an incorrect name. Officials merged and misspelled his last name making him difficult to track through the court system. Jaramillo-Heredia was unable to attend the court hearing due to COVID-19.
He is still in custody and his case is waiting to be refiled by the courts this week. An exact date of the re-arraignment has not been determined.
Emilio Reyes, 43, who is the second suspect in this case, is still in custody on $2.2 million bail. His next appearance in court has not been determined.
According to the Santa Monica Police Department, both Reyes and Jaramillo-Heredia had an ongoing dispute that escalated to a violent altercation on January 24, at around 3:42 p.m. The two were arguing and Jaramillo-Heredia shot at Reyes’s vehicle. Reyes responded by intentionally hitting Heredia’s car which prompted him to fire more rounds at Reyes.
When officers arrived at the intersection of 6th and Broadway, they discovered two vehicles that looked like they were involved in a collision and discovered Reyes with a gunshot wound in his arm. He was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated and was later released.
The SMPD blocked off the area to conduct an investigation and retrieved the handgun Jaramillo-Heredia used in the shooting. Both of the suspects vehicles were towed.
Anyone with any additional information pertaining to the incident is asked to contact SMPD Detective George Burciaga at 310-458- 8932 or the Watch Commander (24 hours) at 310-458-8426.
