Police Seek Suspect in Northridge Homicide

Police asked for the public's help Thursday in the hunt for for a 22-year-old man suspected of killing a man and wounding three other people in a shooting in Northridge last month.

Louis Villegas, 25, of Reseda, was shot in the upper body near the intersection of Balboa Boulevard and Parthenia Street around 12:10 p.m. on Sept. 25, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. A man and two women who were with him were wounded but survived.

All four victims were taken to a hospital, where Villegas was pronounced dead.

The victims were inside a Lexus whose driver had parked on Balboa because one the occupants had to relieve himself, according to detectives at the LAPD's Devonshire Station.

Detectives said a man named Oscar Pantoja approached the Lexus, drew a handgun and fired into the car before leaving the scene. Investigators have not disclosed a possible motive for the shooting.

Pantoja is Hispanic, 5 feet 10, 165 pounds, and should be regarded as armed and dangerous, police said.

Anyone with information on Pantoja or the shooting was urged to call Devonshire homicide detectives at (818) 832-0609. Anonymous tips can also be made by calling (800) 222-TIPS.

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