A California pastor has been arrested on suspicion of paying two contract killers $40,000 to shoot and kill a man who approached his daughter, police said.
The victim said he was driving in Riverside on Oct. 21 around 7 p.m. when someone pulled up next to him and fired a gun. Despite being shot several times, he drove himself to the hospital where he received life-saving treatment.
A police investigation led to the arrest of Samuel Davalos Pasillas, 47, a pastor at a Spanish-speaking church in Victorville. Police believe he did not approve of the man his daughter was dating.
Riverside Police Officer Ryan Lehrback He told KABC TV. They say they were able to find evidence that Pasillas met with two men to formulate a plan to take the man’s life.
“There’s nothing to suggest that this victim did anything or there was anything in the background that would make his girlfriend’s father think such a thing,” Railsback said. . “Based on everything we know and everything we’ve uncovered about the victim, he’s a really nice guy and would probably want to date his daughter.”
According to KTLA and police, under investigation whether the pastor’s religion or ideology could have motivated the shooting;
Police said Pasillas paid the men about $40,000 and provided them with information about the victims’ whereabouts. Police said the men were monitoring the victim.
The two were arrested after search warrants were executed on March 13 at homes in Victorville, Long Beach and Linwood.
Pasillas was charged with inciting murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. One of the two alleged killers, identified as 55-year-old Juan Manuel Cebreros of Long Beach, was charged with the same crime. Police are searching for a third man, Jesus Abel Félix Garcia, believed to have been involved in the attempted murder.
Both men have pleaded not guilty and are being held at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on $1 million bail.
Mr. Pasillas was the pastor of Centro Internacional de Oración. Victorville is a city of approximately 134,000 people located in the Mojave Desert 120 miles from Los Angeles.
Details of this incident are as follows:
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