Murder suspect arrested in Ripon after Modesto man fatally shot at Manteca Taco Bell

Manteca Police arrested a 19-year-old man Tuesday night for the fatal shooting of a 60-year-old Modesto man in a Taco Bell parking lot.

Following the shooting, the suspect carjacked a woman in an attempt to elude capture but was caught in Ripon only 15 minutes later, according to Manteca Police Sgt. Mike Aguilar.

The victim was identified as Stephen Cain, a 60-year-old Modesto resident.

The shooting occurred at the Taco Bell on Daniels Street, northeast of Highway 120 and South Airport Way, at about 9:45 p.m. Cain, shot multiple times, was found on the ground by his car and died at the scene despite life-saving measures by officers and medics.

Aguilar said Cain was inside the Taco Bell prior to the shooing; detectives are working to determine where he encountered the suspect and whether he knew him. They are also working to determine a motive for the shooting.

The suspect ran from the scene following the shooting and reportedly carjacked a woman in a Mercedes in the area of Highway 120 and South Airport Way. The woman was not injured, Aguilar said.

Before dispatchers could notify other agencies to be on the lookout for the stolen Mercedes, a Ripon Police officer spotted it heading southbound on Jack Tone Road. The officer didn’t know the driver was armed or that 15 minutes prior had allegedly shot a man; but the Mercedes has expired registration.

Aguilar said the officer couldn’t immediately pull over the Mercedes because another vehicle was between them. The Mercedes pulled into a residential neighborhood and the officer found it parked at Blossom and Harvest Drives.

The officer approached the driver who asked him why he was pulled over. When the officer told him the registration was expired the suspect ran but the officer gave chase and tackled him about 50 yards away from the vehicle.

When the officer apprehended the suspect he made a comment about being involved in a shooting in Manteca, Aguilar said. The officer contacted Manteca Police who took custody of the suspect, identified as 19-year-old Angel Israel Miranda.

A firearm was found inside the stolen Mercedes. Aguilar said ballistics testing will be requierd to determine whether it was used to shoot Cain.

Miranda was booked on suspicion of murder, carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Detective Joshua Gutierrez at the Manteca Police Department at 209-456-8223.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 12:18 PM with the headline "Murder suspect arrested in Ripon after Modesto man fatally shot at Manteca Taco Bell."