No details have been released, but Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and local law enforcement have scheduled a news conference at 5 p.m. to reveal details of the arrest. Following the OC District Attorney’s announcement, Upland Police announced that two people were arrested. Upland Police and Santa Ana Police were to join the OC DA at the press conference. “I don’t know what to say. I just got off the phone to make the funeral arrangements. As for the killer, I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless. I just hope some justice is served, not leniency,” said James Hirsch, the father of victim Matthew James Hirsch, a 40-year-old 7-Eleven employee killed in Brea. The crime spree in Orange and Riverside counties on Monday, July 11 — or July 7-11 — left two people dead and three injured, including an employee and a man discovered in the parking lot. A customer in Riverside was shot in the head and remains in critical condition, but his family, always upbeat, said they were holding hands. In the days following the spree, 7-Eleven offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. “7-Eleven is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. Tipsters may remain anonymous by contacting Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS,” said a spokesperson for 7-Eleven, Inc . The pre-dawn robberies were reported over a roughly five-hour period on Monday, July 11, or July 7-11, the date the grocery store chain is celebrating its anniversary and offering free Slurpees. Police are looking for a man caught on security camera in at least two of the crimes. The company’s headquarters encouraged 7-Eleven stores in the area to close overnight because of the violence. “Our hearts go out to the victims and their loved ones,” 7-Eleven said in a statement. In Brea, a store clerk was shot and killed during a robbery. Railsback noted that criminals typically understand that convenience store robberies rarely yield large amounts of money, especially at night. “If you’re going to go to a liquor store or a 7-Eleven or a fast food place, you’re not going to get a lot of cash out of it,” he said. “It’s kind of weird that they would do that.”
Timeline of robberies, shootings at SoCal 7-Eleven stores
The early morning string of shootings and robberies was reported in Ontario, Upland, Riverside, Santa Ana, Brea and La Habra. Police in La Habra and Brea said Monday they believe they are looking for the same person. On Tuesday, Riverside police confirmed that the man wanted in the Riverside case also appears to be connected to crimes in La Habra and Brea. Officials in the other communities have yet to make the same decision, but said they are aware of other crimes at 7-Eleven stores. Midnight, Ontario: The first robbery was reported around midnight in Ontario. According to Ontario police, a masked man pointed a handgun at a store employee and demanded money. No shots were fired. No injuries were reported. It was not immediately clear if anything was stolen. Just before 2 a.m. Tuesday, Upland: The second robbery was reported in Upland, about 5 miles from the Ontario store. Someone approached a store clerk with merchandise and then displayed a semiautomatic handgun, police said. The man took about $400 to $500 in cash and ran away. No shots were fired. 3 a.m., Tuesday, Riverside: About an hour after the Upland robbery and 25 miles away, a gunman shot a customer at a Riverside 7-Eleven. Police said they believe the clerk handed over cash from the register. The shooting victim was in critical condition. “There doesn’t appear to be any reason the suspect shot the customer,” Railsback said. “Sounds like the clerk gave him what he asked for.” 3:20 a.m., Tuesday, Santa Ana: About 25 miles from Riverside, another shooting was reported in the parking lot of a Santa Ana store. Officers found the body of a man, identified as 24-year-old Matthew Rule, of Santa Ana, in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to the upper body. “At this time, we do not believe he was an employee,” said Santa Ana Sgt. Maria Lopez. “We still don’t really know what he was doing there in a parking lot if he was a potential customer or just passing through.” Security camera video shows the shooter dropping items, possibly belonging to the victim, as he fled, Lopez said. 4 a.m., Tuesday, Brea: A 7-Eleven employee was shot and killed in the north Orange County community of Brea. The employee was identified as 40-year-old Matthew Hirsch, who died at the scene, police said. Before 5 a.m. Tuesday, La Habra: Officers in nearby La Habra responded to a reported robbery at a 7-Eleven and discovered two gunshot victims. Authorities have not released the condition of the victims. Security camera photos released by Upland and Brea police show a masked man wearing a black sweatshirt with the hood pulled over his head. The sweatshirt had white lettering with green leaves on the front.
