Arizona

2 Suspects in Penngrove Murder Lead Authorities on Chase Into Arizona, Third Suspect Arrested in Richmond

Two suspects in the murder of a Penngrove woman led authorities on a pursuit from Riverside County to Arizona that turned deadly on Saturday, a Sonoma County sheriff's spokeswoman said.

One of the suspects was killed in an officer-involved shooting at the end of the pursuit, Sonoma County sheriff's Sgt. Cecile Focha said. The person's identity was not released.

The other suspect, identified as 27-year-old Victor Silva of Marin County, surrendered without incident, Focha said.

A third suspect in the case, later identified as 27-year-old John Bruno Martinez, was arrested without incident in Richmond on Saturday, she said.

On Friday, detectives from the sheriff's office identified possible suspects in the death of 84-year-old Olga Mary Dinelli, who was found dead in a chair in her home in the 900 block of Rose Avenue around 11:50 a.m. on Thursday.

The detectives later learned around 2 p.m. Saturday that two of the three suspects were traveling, possibly in a rental car, near Indio on eastbound Interstate Highway 10 in Riverside County, Focha said.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office was notified and deputies from the agency located a car with two people matching the descriptions provided by the Sonoma County detectives, according to Focha.

The deputies tried to stop the car but the suspects fled and led them on pursuit on eastbound Highway 10, Riverside County sheriff's Deputy Michael Vasquez said.

California Highway Patrol officers also assisted in the pursuit and placed spike strips on the roadway to stop the suspect vehicle, Vasquez said.

During the pursuit, deputies received reports of one of the suspects allegedly shooting at passing motorists, he said.

When the pursuit entered the state border into Arizona, personnel from the La Paz County Sheriff's Office and Arizona Department of Public Safety were notified, Vasquez said.

One of the two suspects fired at an officer from the Quartzsite Police Department in Arizona, he said.

The officer was placing spike strips on the road in an attempt to stop the car but one of the two suspects fired at the officer, who was not injured by the gunfire, according to Vasquez.

The suspect vehicle struck the spike strips, lost control and became disabled on the shoulder of Highway 10, about 1 to 2 miles into Arizona, he said.

A Riverside County sheriff's deputy confronted the armed suspect, who refused to comply with the deputy's commands to drop the firearm and surrender, according to Vasquez.

The confrontation turned into a shooting that left the armed suspect with fatal injuries, Vasquez said.

The deputy was not injured, he said.

The second suspect, Silva, was arrested and is being held outside of California, Focha said.

He will be extradited to Sonoma County, she said.

Martinez, a Richmond resident, was arrested on suspicion of murder, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of an assault weapon, and receiving stolen property.

He was booked into Sonoma County Jail with no bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon.

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