Moreno Valley man arrested after fatal shooting in Perris gym parking lot – Redlands Daily Facts

Riverside County Sheriff's deputies are investigating a fatal shooting in the parking lot of Planet Fitness on N. Perris Boulevard in Perris on June 23, 2024. (ONSCENE.TV)

A 46-year-old Moreno Valley resident was arrested early Sunday, June 23, after a man was shot outside a Perris gym and the suspect crashed at the end of a police chase about a hour later.

No motive has been announced for the shooting, which happened in the parking lot of Planet Fitness at 1690 N. Perris Blvd. The victim's name was not immediately released.

The shooting was reported around 12:16 a.m., the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers learned unspecified information about the shooter and around 12:48 a.m., deputies in a sheriff's helicopter found the suspect's car in Beaumont. The police tried to stop the car, but it fled. The pursuit ended at the intersection of Florida and Acacia avenues in Hemet, a sheriff's news release states.

Ernesto Lopez Jr. was arrested without further issue, the release said. He was booked on suspicion of murder and felony escape and was being held without bail at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside.

The department asked anyone with information about the murder to call Investigator Denham at 951-955-2777.