Long Beach release videos of a man shot by Long Beach police in Montebello who tried to kill witness
By: A man shot and injured by Long Beach police in Montebello in October was wanted on suspicion of attempting to kill a key witness in a murder case involving another member of his gang, according to a court document obtained by the Southern California News Group.
The police shooting occurred Oct. 31 at a Chevron gas station at Garfield Avenue and Beverly Boulevard.
In November, Long Beach police released video showing the moments leading up to a detective firing twice at Oscar Alejandro Ramires, 33, of Montebello — hitting him once in the upper body as he attempted to drive away after police surrounded him.
Ramires rammed multiple civilian and police vehicles in the gas station, video shows.
He had hit one undercover police SUV and one civilian SUV before the first shot was fired — a moment before the suspect hit the undercover minivan with the detective. The detective was knocked out through an open door after Ramires rammed it with his car.
Ramires fled and hit another car on Via Altamira, with two occupants who were not injured, police said. Officers found him on the ground in a garage in the 600 block of the street, a block south of his home.
Aside from identifying Ramires as a suspect wanted for attempted murder, police released no further details about that case.
But a detective wrote in the court document that Ramires was identified as the suspect in a number of crimes, including the attempted murder of a woman Ramires, and other members of his gang, believed was going to testify against a gang member in an upcoming preliminary hearing.
On Sept. 25, Ramires and another woman showed up in a car at a home in the 6000 block of Olive Avenue in Long Beach, police said. He fired four shots after the victim came to the front of the house, hitting her once in a leg, court documents show.
Police initially arrested the woman during an investigation into a 2022 homicide, but the District Attorney’s Office dropped the charges against her after she gave a statement to prosecutors against one of her co-defendants, the detective wrote.
“Homicide detectives believe the … gang was targeting her for violence to prevent her from testifying,” police wrote in the search warrant. “This is based on multiple recorded jail calls, prison calls and social media posts.”
Among the social media posts, the detective wrote, Ramires reposted one that appeared to be a $5,000 bounty targeting the woman.
Before police say he shot her, Ramires was accused of pistol-whipping the woman and warning her against testifying, the detective wrote. The woman failed to appear in court and an arrest warrant was issued. The woman is now in protective custody.
Police believe Ramires was also involved in a pair of car-to-car shootings in October after shell casings found at both scenes matched the markings of casings found from the shooting in the 6000 block of Olive Avenue, the detective wrote.
Ramires has since been charged with attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and dissuading a witness by force or fear, police said. He also faces a charge of assault on a peace officer and four counts of assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the Oct. 31 police shooting.
He was being held in jail on more than $2 million bail, according to inmate records.