08/28/2026
LOS ANGELES — The California Highway Patrol (CHP), in coordination with the United States Marshals Service (USMS), arrested a murder suspect wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash at Exposition Park on November 22, 2024.
CHP Southern Division Major Crimes Unit detectives responded to the scene of a hit-and-run crash at Exposition Park on November 22, 2024, after a vehicle struck a bicyclist in a parking lot on Figueroa Street, north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The juvenile victim died from his injuries. The suspect fled the scene and initially evaded identification. Following an extensive investigation, CHP detectives identified the man responsible for the hit-and-run crash as Jonathan Rodriguez, 33, of Los Angeles. Investigators determined that Rodriguez fled the United States to Mexico. A $2.02 million full extradition warrant was issued for his arrest.
CHP detectives requested assistance from the USMS Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force to locate and apprehend Rodriguez. The joint investigation revealed that Rodriguez had fled Mexico for El Salvador using dual citizenship.
Through coordinated efforts, an attorney for Rodriguez contacted the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to request negotiations for Rodriguez’s surrender. The CHP worked with the USMS, which contacted El Salvadorian officials and Rodriguez’s attorney to coordinate his surrender. On August 27, 2026, Rodriguez boarded a flight from El Salvador to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Just after 12 p.m., the USMS Task Force, along with US Customs and Border Protection, boarded the airplane and took Rodriguez into custody without incident. CHP detectives took custody of Rodriguez and booked him into jail on the active warrant.
“This murder suspect was taken into custody thanks to the unrelenting commitment of our detectives and the cooperation of the United States Marshals Service and the El Salvadorian government,” said CHP Chief Chris Margaris. “For the past two years, our detectives refused to give up their pursuit of justice to apprehend the person responsible for this senseless act of violence. The CHP remains committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
