Two criminal suspects, accused of killing a kind-hearted bystander in Los Angeles County as he intervened to prevent them from stealing his neighbor’s catalytic converter, were found to be in the country without legal permission and have extensive criminal backgrounds, according to Fox News. Wilber Alberto Rabanales and Jose Christian Saravia Sanchez were apprehended by authorities in the Los Angeles suburb of Inglewood on Thursday for the murder of Juan Miguel Sanchez on February 25, a tragic incident captured on surveillance footage. Rabanales, originally from Guatemala, has been arrested more than 15 times in recent years within the county, primarily on charges related to firearms, grand theft, burglary, and drugs. His rap sheet includes numerous grand theft offenses, particularly for stealing catalytic converters, as well as prior charges for multiple DUIs, conspiracy, illegal possession of a firearm, possession of burglary tools, meth possession, possession of stolen property, and felony hit-and-run during a police chase. Saravia Sanchez has also been detained at least twelve times, mostly for grand theft, firearms violations, drug offenses, burglary, kidnapping, meth possession, and possession of burglary tools. Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for further information. The victim, Juan Miguel Sanchez, was tragically shot and killed by the suspects when he confronted them nonviolently as they attempted to steal the catalytic converter, as reported by FOX 11. After the shooting, the suspects fled in a vehicle but were eventually apprehended at a motel in Cudahy, California, approximately 15 miles east of Inglewood. Juan’s sister, Susana Sanchez, mourned his loss, stating, “You took a big part of our heart.” Describing Juan as a man of faith who never missed Sunday Mass and volunteered at church, she highlighted his dedication to his family as the sole provider. Juan’s family revealed that he had gone to work early on the fateful morning to start his job, where he had recently received a promotion, after assisting with efforts to clean up following the Palisades Fire. Juan Sanchez’s family shared that he had advised his wife to quit her job during her chemotherapy treatment for cancer.
