Three men from Orange County have been arrested for the brutal murder of a bystander who was killed while acting as a good Samaritan. The bystander was attempting to intervene in the beating of an elderly man before being targeted himself. The incident occurred in June 2022 in Stanton. Juan Cristalinas, a 49-year-old father, was working as a pizza delivery driver. He witnessed an elderly man being assaulted and decided to step in.
Unfortunately, both Cristalinas and the man they were attacking were shot by the assailants. While Cristalinas tragically lost his life, the elderly man has since made a full recovery.
After a year-long investigation, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives apprehended three suspects on Wednesday. The individuals arrested were Damian Ivan Mayorga, 18, from Anaheim; Adrian Castaneda, 19, also from Anaheim; and Henry Diep Le, 19, from Garden Grove. According to Capt. Charlie Waters of the Stanton police, the suspects were affiliated with a gang, while the victim and the elderly man were not.
Henry Dipe Le was apprehended at the Mexican border, although authorities have not disclosed the reason for his presence there. Walters revealed that one of the suspects is believed to have fired the shots, but it is uncertain if the others were armed. Investigators utilized surveillance footage to develop leads in the case. The recovery of the weapon used in the shooting has not been confirmed.
Damian Ivan Mayorga and Adrian Castaneda are currently being held on $1 million bail. However, Henry Dipe Le, who is facing separate charges for possessing a destructive device, is being held without bail.
Juan Cristalina’s son, Ivan Cristalinas, described his father as having a big heart and always going out of his way to help others. The loss of Juan Cristalinas has left his family devastated.
The investigation into the murder required thousands of hours of dedicated work by law enforcement officials. Capt. Charlie Waters expressed his gratitude to the investigators for their unwavering commitment to the case.