Mistakenly-Freed Murder Suspect Found In Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A mistakenly-released murder suspect was at last arrested Monday in Orange County after almost a month of freedom, officials say. Hawaiian Gardens resident Steven Manzo, 24, was charged one year ago with the killing of Salvador Corrales, 24, in 2018, Long Beach police say. He was erroneously released on March 9 with officials believing charges against him had been dropped.

On Monday, Manzo was identified during a traffic stop in the city of Cypress, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Investigators observed Manzo inside a grey Nissan Sentra in Buena Park. Officers followed the car to Cypress and contacted the Cypress Police Department. That department aided in stopping the Sentra and making the arrest.

Long Beach Police officers took Manzo into custody. There, he is being held on $4.09 million bail, according to the sheriff's department.

Manzo was initially released from jail on March 9, with a Long Beach police spokeswoman subsequently saying he "should not have been released."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department released a statement saying they received an 'Order For Release' from the court, indicating the case was dismissed.

"As such, the department complied with the court order and processed the individual for release," according to the statement. "Should you have any further questions about this incident or the circumstances surrounding it, please contact Long Beach Police Department or the District Attorney's Office."

The case against Manzo was dismissed on March 8 and the same five charges were immediately refiled under a different case number after Manzo was not taken from jail to court, where a hearing had been set to determine whether there was enough evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial, according to Ricardo Santiago of the District Attorney's Office.

Manzo was ordered remanded pending arraignment on the new case on March 23.

The prosecutor handling the case was the first to alert law enforcement that Manzo was released from custody, Santiago says.

Long Beach police spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria said her department "contacted LASD to assist with his apprehension. LASD set up a containment perimeter, but they were not able to take him into custody."

Manzo was arrested and charged a year ago with July 26, 2018, killing Salvador Corrales, 24, Long Beach police say.

Officers found evidence of a shooting but no victim at 9:05 p.m. that night when they were dispatched to a call of shots fired in the 6700 block of Cherry Avenue.
Corrales' body was later found inside a vehicle in the 5800 block of Florence Avenue in Bell Gardens, and evidence linked the shots fired in Long Beach with his death, police said.

Manzo is charged with one count each of murder, attempted murder, shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, possession for sale of methamphetamine and sale or transportation of methamphetamine.

Two co-defendants, Gabriel Ivan Martinez and Daniel Alberto Cardona are charged with robbery and drug counts.

City News Service, Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig contributed to this report.