Man accused of gunning down California couple during parking spot dispute arrested in Iowa

A man wanted for killing a couple over a parking spot dispute in California was arrested halfway across the country in Iowa, authorities announced.

U.S. Marshals and Long Beach Police Homicide Detectives arrested Joshua Wells, 29, on Sept. 16. Officials said Wells was arrested near a family member’s residence in Windsor Heights, Iowa, and was booked for the murders of a Long Beach, California, couple.

The Long Beach Police Department asked for the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the shooting deaths of a man and a woman after responding to a report of a fight in the 900 block of Park Circle around 7:50 p.m. on Sept. 4.

When officers arrived, they found a man on the sidewalk suffering from apparent gunshot wounds to the upper body and a woman in the street suffering from a gunshot wound to her upper body.

Officers immediately began performing life-saving measures on both victims until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived on the scene to render aid, according to Long Beach police. Fire Department personnel determined the man had died and the woman was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The victims are a couple who lived in Long Beach and were identified as 39-year-old Juan Guizar-Gutierrez and 44-year-old Maricela Honorato.

Family members told CBS Los Angeles Honorato and Guizar-Gutierrez just returned from a fishing trip and were looking for a parking spot when a car behind them reportedly started honking, and an argument ensued.

Guizar-Gutierrez reportedly went back outside to look for his missing keys when the suspect allegedly shot and killed him before shooting Honorato after she came running out to see the scene.

Two search warrants were served, one in the 900 block of Loma Vista Drive and one in the 8100 block of Harbach Boulevard in Clive, Iowa, on Sept. 16, police said. Both search warrant services resulted in finding evidence which linked the suspect to the crimes, according to Long Beach police.

Detectives believe the motive for the shooting was related to an earlier road rage altercation that occurred in the area and do not believe Wells knew the victims before he allegedly opened fire.

Wells is currently being held on $6 million bail and is expected to be extradited from Iowa to Long Beach.