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Double murder suspect captured after CHP chase
The suspect is being held on $3 million bail.
POMONA, Calif. - A double murder suspect is in custody following a high-speed, multi-county police chase that began on Thursday afternoon.
The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Robert Galtman, allegedly shot and killed a couple in a Pomona apartment before leading the California Highway Patrol on a nearly two-hour chase through Los Angeles and Kern counties.
What we know:
The incident began after police responded to reports of shots fired with multiple injuries.
Law enforcement discovered the bodies of 24-year-old Veronica Lopez and 48-year-old Richard Brady in an apartment.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, both Lopez and Brady, who were involved in a relationship, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the shooting, the California Highway Patrol's Crime Suppression Team, which was already conducting saturation patrols in the area, quickly flooded the perimeter alongside a CHP airplane requested for aerial support.
Just before 5:30 p.m., officers located Galtman driving a black Kia sedan on the northbound 5 Freeway near Roxford Street. When he failed to yield, a high-speed pursuit ensued.
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Hour-long police chase across LA County
A driver, initially feared to be armed and dangerous, led an hour-plus car chase from Pomona to the Lancaster area.
The chase spanned multiple regions, moving through Newhall, Fort Tejon, and into Kern County, before looping back into the Antelope Valley.
To bring the dangerous pursuit to an end, CHP Antelope Valley units deployed a spike strip and utilized a pursuit intervention technique (PIT maneuver) to successfully disable the sedan.
Galtman was taken into custody without further incident and later transferred back to the Pomona Police Department.
He remains in custody.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet released any information regarding a potential motive for the shooting.
It remains unclear how Galtman knew the victims, or if the attack was targeted.
What they're saying:
CHP Chief Chris Margaris praised the seamless cross-agency teamwork that led to the swift arrest.
"A double murder suspect was swiftly taken into custody today because of our partnership with Pomona Police Department, the quick thinking of our CHP Crime Suppression Team, our CHP airplane, the IRIS unit, and, ultimately, the collaboration between all of our patrol units on the ground in the pursuit, who were able to take the suspect into custody safely."
What's next:
Galtman will remain behind bars as prosecutors prepare to file formal murder charges.
The Pomona Police Department will continue its homicide investigation to uncover the underlying circumstances of the shooting.
The Source: This report is based on information from the California Highway Patrol and the Pomona Police Department. City News Service contributed.