LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A murder suspect remained at large Wednesday, one day after his erroneous release from jail prompted the shutdown of the southbound Hollywood (101) Freeway in Los Angeles for more than an hour while authorities searched for the man.
Steven Manzo, 24, of Hawaiian Gardens, was released from jail at 2:12 p.m. Tuesday, with a Long Beach police spokeswoman subsequently saying that it was determined that he "should not have been released."
In a statement released late Wednesday morning, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said it "did NOT erroneously release a murder suspect yesterday from our custody."
"LASD received an `Order For Release' from the court, indicating the case was dismissed. As such, the Department complied with the court order and processed the individual for release," according to the statement. "Should you have any further questions about this incident or the circumstances surrounding it, please contact Long Beach Police Department or the District Attorney's Office."
Online court records indicate that the case against Manzo was dismissed Monday and that the same five charges were re-filed the same day against him under a different case number.
A spokesperson for the District Attorney's Office could not immediately be reached for comment on the case or why the initial case was dismissed.
Long Beach police spokeswoman Arantxa Chavarria said her department "contacted LASD to assist with his apprehension. LASD set up a containment perimeter, but they were not able to take him into custody. Our department will work with local agencies to make every effort to locate suspect Manzo to take him safely into custody."
Manzo was arrested and charged a year ago with the July 26, 2018, killing of Salvador Corrales, 24, according to Long Beach police.
Officers found evidence of a shooting but no victim at 9:05 that night when they were dispatched to a call of shots fired in the 6700 block of Cherry Avenue. Corrales' body was later found inside a vehicle in the 5800 block of Florence Avenue in Bell Gardens, and evidence linked the shots fired in Long Beach with his death, police said.
