California police say they have arrested a pastor on suspicion of attempted murder, charging that he paid nearly $40,000 to have his daughter’s boyfriend shot in a murder-for-hire plot last year.
Police in Riverside, Calif., arrested Samuel Pasillas, 47, whom they identified as pastor of a Spanish-speaking church congregation in Victorville, about 40 miles north of San Bernardino, as well as Juan Manuel Cebreros, 55, of Long Beach, as part of their investigation, they said Tuesday in a news release.
They said the investigation into the shooting, which took place on the evening of Oct. 21, 2023, and left a man injured, is ongoing. Local news outlets reported that police were searching for a third suspect whose whereabouts were unknown.
The victim, whom police did not identify, said last year that he was shot multiple times from inside a car that pulled up alongside his in the Orangecrest neighborhood of Riverside, about 50 miles south of Victorville. He was injured and drove himself to a hospital, where he was treated for gunshot wounds, police said.
Five months later, police said their investigation revealed that the incident was a “murder-for-hire shooting.” They said they uncovered evidence that Pasillas met with the hit men, paid them and provided information on the boyfriend’s whereabouts the night of the shooting.
Police said they obtained warrants to search homes in Victorville, Long Beach and Lynwood on March 13, after which they arrested Pasillas on charges of solicitation for murder, conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. Cebreros was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon, they said.
ABC7 Eyewitness News reported that both suspects pleaded not guilty at a joint arraignment on Monday. A lawyer for Pasillas could not be reached for comment early Thursday, and it was not immediately clear whether Cebreros has retained a lawyer.
