Long Beach Police make additional arrest in investigation of homicide in the 7200 block of Atlantic Place

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For the past several months, detectives assigned to the Homicide Detail and the Special Investigations Division have continued following up with investigative leads and gathering evidence. Through their investigation, homicide detectives developed information and evidence leading to the identification and arrest of the following additional individuals for their involvement in the murder:

  • Leonel Zapien Martinez, a 32-year-old resident of Long Beach, was arrested on March 2, 2022, in the City of Long Beach for an unrelated warrant.  Martinez was later charged with one count of murder and his bail was set at $2,000,000.
  • Eleazar Lopez, a 34-year-old resident of the City of Paramount, was arrested on Sept. 27, 2022, in the City of Downey and was booked for one count of conspiracy to commit murder.  Bail was set at $2,000,000.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office filed criminal charges against Martinez.  Detectives will present their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office this week for filing consideration against Lopez.

While the motive remains under investigation, detectives believe the murder resulted from an ongoing personal dispute between the victim and the three suspects.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Leticia Gamboa or Ethan Shear at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.


Previously reported:

Original Release 12/19/2021:

On Dec. 18, 2021, at approximately 9:26 p.m., patrol officers were flagged down by a citizen who notified them of a shooting that occurred earlier in the night and described an area where the citizen believed the shooting had occurred. Officers responded to the area of 72nd Street and Atlantic Place and located a victim of a shooting, which resulted in the death of a male adult.

Upon arrival, officers located a male adult victim, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body, inside a vehicle parked on the street. Long Beach Fire Department personnel responded and determined the victim deceased at the scene.

Homicide detectives were notified and responded to the scene. At this time,the motive for the shooting is currently unknown and detectives are actively working to gather additional information to further the ongoing investigation.

The identity of the victim and notification to next of kin will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner–Coroner’s Office. The unidentified victim appears to be a male in his forties.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Leticia Gamboa or Ethan Shear at (562) 570-7244. Anonymous tips may be submitted through “LA Crime Stoppers” by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477), downloading the “P3 Tips” app to your smartphone (available at the Apple app store or Google Play), or by visiting www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Update 12/23/2021:

On Dec. 21, 2021, detectives from the Special Investigations Division located and arrested a suspect in connection to the murder of 46-year-old Abelardo Ramirez Bonilla, a resident of Irvine, CA.

In the days since the murder occurred, Detectives have conducted a comprehensive investigation, starting first by deploying multiple investigative resources to the initial crime scene. Through their efforts, they gathered significant evidence leading them to identify 54-year-old Luis Barrios as the person detectives believe is responsible for the shooting death of Bonilla.

Detectives arrested Barrios during a traffic stop at 72nd Street and Orange Avenue. He is currently being held in the Long Beach City Jail and has been booked for one count of murder and one count of possessing a controlled substance for sale. His bail was set at $2,050,000.00.

Through their investigation, Detectives discovered Bonilla and Barrios were known to each other and had been socializing throughout the day prior to the assault. While the motive remains under investigation, detectives believe the shooting resulted from an ongoing personal dispute between both parties and that Barrios was responsible for the shooting of Bonilla. Detectives plan to present their case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office early next week for filing consideration.