Suspect in East Bakersfield Market Shooting Arrested
BAKERSFIELD — A 21-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for shooting a clerk multiple times during a Monday robbery at a neighborhood market on Robinson St. in east Bakersfield.
La Perla Marketplace
Virginio Zurita was booked into the Kern County Jail for attempted murder, armed robbery, assault with a deadly weapon, and a parole violation. And although his bail was set at $575,000, he is being held without bail on a parole violation hold.
The robbery took place on Aug. 5 at about 11:30 a.m. when Zurita entered the La Perla Market between Knotts and Heights streets, near Haley Street, and brandished a handgun at the storeowner, 60-year-old Fawzi Musaad.
According to police, Musaad armed himself with a handgun and an exchange of gunfire ensued, with several rounds striking Musaad in the upper body. He was transported to Kern Medical Center and is currently being treated for major injuries.
Just a short time after the shooting, officers from the Bakersfield Police Department responded to KMC where they said Zurita admitted himself for treatment of gunshot wounds to the lower back and ankle, telling officers that he had been shot at the Maya Cinema in downtown Bakersfield.
The following day, detectives from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office investigating the shooting were able to determine from the market’s video surveillance that the suspect in the shooting not only appeared to have been shot in the lower back as he fled the scene, but was also wearing similar clothing.
Similar to those BPD officers seized during their interview with Zurita the night before.
“We were also able to develop additional information and evidence,” a police spokesperson said, “indicating enough probable cause to believe Mr. Zurita was the suspect responsible for shooting Mr. Musaad.”
Read more:
KERO-TV: Suspect arrested in La Perla market shooting
The Bakersfield Californian: East Bakersfield market shooting suspect arrested
