Suspected Mall Killer Arrested in Stakeout

Officers staked out a South Gate home early Sunday and arrested the man suspected of fatally shooting one Sears security guard and wounding another in a shoplifting stunt gone sour.

Gilbert Ortiz, 20, of Bell was taken into custody at 12:35 a.m. as he tried to drive away from a home in the 10500 block of Richlee Avenue with a friend, Orange Police Lt. Art Romo said.

Romo said about a dozen detectives worked around the clock to track down Ortiz, suspected in the Friday slaying of 22-year-old Kyle O’Brien and wounding of 20-year-old Randall DePue at the Mall of Orange.

A published picture of the suspect from a Sears surveillance camera unleashed a flurry of tips and led police to friends and family of Ortiz, Romo said.

A 35-year-old woman who drove the suspect from the shooting scene had turned herself in to police Saturday and also helped them fill in “some key pieces of the puzzle,” such as how the pair escaped and the location of the gun, Romo said.

“Our detectives went up there and just went door to door, talking to a lot of folks,” Romo said at a news conference held to discuss the case. “A lot of people who knew this man knew he was wanted by the police.”

Ortiz used the surname Acosta when arrested and has also used the name Castro, police said. He was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and robbery. His bail was set at $250,000.

Romo said Ortiz had asked at least six people for a ride to Mexico, but “no one wanted to give him a ride.”

Romo said the Sears surveillance camera video offered “a clear shot” of the suspect--a man wearing a striped shirt and carrying a paint sprayer in the box. The media distribution of the suspect’s photo helped trap him close to his home city, he said.

Romo would not elaborate on Ortiz’s criminal history, but police earlier released a prior booking photo taken of him by the Bell Police Department.

The Richlee Avenue home was one of several in the region where detectives were positioned Saturday and early Sunday. Detectives watched Ortiz leave the home and get into a car driven by another person. Officers stopped the car and Ortiz, who was unarmed, was taken into custody without incident.

Romo said South Gate police helped secure the area.

The tragedy unfolded about 4 p.m. Friday when a man who police believe was Ortiz approached a Sears employee, said he had recently purchased the new $152 paint sprayer he was carrying, and asked to return it for a cash refund. A clerk became suspicious and called security because the man had no receipt.

Two unarmed security guards--O’Brien and DePue--walked the suspect to his car to obtain identification from him, police and witnesses said. A struggle ensued and the man pulled out a gun, shooting O’Brien twice in the chest and DePue once in the arm.

DePue was listed in stable condition Sunday at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Anaheim, hospital officials said.

The family of O’Brien, reached by phone at their Orange home Sunday, would not comment about the case. Romo said they were “very relieved” to hear of the arrest.

After the shooting, the suspect sped off in a silver Buick Skyhawk driven by a woman. That woman, described by Romo as “good friends” with Ortiz, turned herself in to Bell police early Saturday and cooperated with Orange detectives.

Romo said she was detained for questioning only and was not arrested.

The pair had abandoned the car behind a tire shop in the 1800 block of east Katella Avenue, walked a short way to a grocery store and taken a cab into Los Angeles County. Romo said police questioned the taxi driver about where he dropped Ortiz--information that helped them make the arrest.

With the woman’s help, officers recovered what they believe is the murder weapon, a .25-caliber semiautomatic handgun, from a trash bin near the spot where the suspected getaway car was ditched, police said.

Romo said police plan to serve search warrants on the vehicle and Ortiz’s home in Bell. He said officers expect to pass the case on to the district attorney’s office by Tuesday.