Pomona Double Homicide Suspect Arrested After Intense Multi-County Pursuit

A 48-year-old man suspected of fatally shooting two people in Pomona was taken into custody Thursday evening after a lengthy pursuit that spanned multiple counties and ended with a tactical maneuver by the California Highway Patrol.

The Pomona Police Department responded to a call of shots fired with multiple victims around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to a CHP news release. Two individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.

As officers investigated the shooting, a CHP airplane provided aerial support, and the agency used its network of license plate readers to track the suspect's vehicle. About two hours later, the suspect was spotted driving north on the 5 Freeway near Roxford Street in a black Kia sedan.

When officers attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to yield, initiating a pursuit that lasted over an hour and a half. The chase wove through Los Angeles and Kern counties before law enforcement successfully deployed spike strips to flatten the suspect's tires.

The vehicle was finally stopped with a PIT maneuver, a technique where officers use their patrol car to force the fleeing vehicle into a spin.

"A double murder suspect was swiftly taken into custody today because of our partnership with Pomona Police Department, the quick thinking of our CHP crime suppression team, our CHP airplane, the IRIS unit," said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris in a statement.

The suspect was identified as Robert Galtman, 48, according to ABC7. He was booked into custody around 11:30 p.m.

Thursday and is being held on $3.1 million bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department booking records.

The investigation remains ongoing. Authorities have not released the identities of the victims or a possible motive for the shooting.