Lt. Carl Whitney Whitney of the Garden Grove Police Department said "Our suspect was not associated with any of our victims." He also said that the suspect and all of the victims were Hispanic.[1][2][3] However, police later stated that two of the victims were white.[12] Police also stated that the suspect is a known gang member and had previously been convicted of "possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute while armed with an assault weapon" and vehicular theft.[5][13][14] The suspect was described by media as having a conviction record dating back to 2004[15] and having 14 previous convictions.[16] On August 9, the suspect was charged with murder, attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon to cause great bodily injury, aggravated mayhem, robbery and burglary, and pleaded not guilty.[17] The suspect was not eligible for bail.[18]