Santa Monica Offers Rewards in October Killing Spree

By Raul Mora and Jim Stebinger

Monday, July 26 -- The Santa Monica Police Department announced three rewards of $25,000 each for information leading to the arrest of the suspects responsible for the shootings that occurred last October. The rewards, announced Friday, are part of a new policy that went into effect this month.

While there is no evidence that suggests that any of the October shootings - which claimed four lives -- were related, the police department has noted that there were particular similarities in each crime.

"In this particular series, there were some gang overtones," said Santa Monica Police Department spokesman Lt. Gary Gallinot.

The police also stated that four killings in one month is out of the ordinary for Santa Monica. There have been no homicides reported in the city this year, compared to 12 last year.

The first of the incidents occurred on the evening of October 12, when two Hispanic male suspects in a dark-colored Japanese vehicle killed Omar Sevilla in a drive-by shooting on Sixth St. and Pico Blvd.

The second episode took place five days later, when several Hispanic men chased Juan Campos into Eddies Market on Pico Blvd. and twentieth St. Once the victim was cornered, the suspect, who is identified as a male in his late teens or early twenties, shot and killed Campos.

The suspects escaped in a stolen late model Neon Dodge that was later recovered.

The final incident took place on the 27th, when three masked men carrying an assault rifle and several handguns entered a business on Lincoln Blvd at mid day and began to open fire on the individuals inside. Anthony Robert Juarez and his brother Michael Anthony Juarez died from the multiple gunshot wounds, while the other two victims survived.

The suspects escaped in another stolen Dodge Neon, which was driven by a fourth suspect. The vehicle also was recovered.

"It's obviously something that was very brutal and blatant for people to walk into this place in broad daylight and start shooting," Detective Rudy Camarena said.

Because of the severity of the final incident, Governor Gray Davis singed a proclamation allowing for an additional $20,000 from the state for information leading to the arrest of the Juarez brothers' killers, raising the total to $45,000.

The victims' father, Ray Juarez, had complained to the city council earlier this year that two $25,000 rewards should be offered in the incident.

While police are still working on each case, the rewards are expected to help them find the suspects.

"When you exhaust all your leads, you look at the rewards system to entice someone to come forward," Gallinot said.

The city of Santa Monica has established a policy under which it will offer a reward of up to $25,000 in cases of major crime, according to Administrative Instructions from the city manager's office.

According to the instructions, rewards will be given for crimes committed in the city and which "significantly impact the city or its residents." To generate consideration for a reward, "intensive investigation" must have failed to lead to arrest of the suspects "and no other reasonable alternative" can be available to police.

The amount of the award, up to $25,000, is to be proposed by Chief of Police James T. Butts and must be affirmed by the city manager and the council. A reward is always associated with a particular crime and is available for six months - but the council can extend the award for a second six-month period.

The process begins when Chief Butts and the commander of the office of criminal investigations draft a report. The report details the crime, explains the necessity for a reward, proposes an amount and gives a time frame for getting the information. The City Manager approves the draft report and puts it on the council agenda.

If the recommendation meets the approval of the council, the reward is appropriated into a line-item account within the non-departmental budget.

Claims for the reward are reviewed by Chief Butts and City Attorney Marsha Moutrie. They will assure the council that conditions for claiming the reward have been met. The instructions state that witness confidentiality will be protected.

If Moutrie and Butts believe the claimant should receive the reward, the city manager is notified. A Request for Warrant is sent to the city manager and must be accompanied by a cover memorandum from Butts and Moutrie. The city manager then informs the council that the reward is to be given.