2 arrested in road rage killing of 6-year-old in California

ORANGE, Calif. — Authorities have arrested two people after a road rage shooting on a California highway last month left a 6-year-old boy dead.

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Officials with the California Highway Patrol confirmed Sunday that Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, had been arrested at their home in Costa Mesa. The pair are suspected of being responsible for a road rage shooting on the morning of May 21 that claimed the life of Aiden Leos, according to authorities.

We are confirming the arrest of the two suspects believed responsible for the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos. Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, were arrested at their home in Costa Mesa.
— CHP Santa Ana (@CHPSantaAna) June 7, 2021

Eriz and Lee are expected to be charged with murder, officials said. They were each being held on a $1 million bail, KABC-TV reported.

Aiden was riding in a booster seat on his way to kindergarten with his mother on May 21 when the road rage incident occurred on California State Route 55, according to officials. Aiden’s mother, Joanna Cloonan, told another driver that a car cut her off as she was switching lanes to get out of the carpool lane and toward an exit, The Los Angeles Times reported. She said she “made an obscene gesture toward the people inside and continued trying to get off the freeway,” according to the newspaper.

Authorities said at least one shot was then fired at the vehicle that Cloonan was driving, killing Aiden.

“My precious son had his life ripped away from him for absolutely no reason,” Cloonan said Saturday at her son’s funeral, according to KTLA. “They took his life and my heart along with it.”

Prior to Sunday’s arrests, authorities offered a $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of those responsible for Aiden’s death. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Friday in a statement that the incident “left (Aiden’s) family devastated -- and it has left our entire community devastated.”

“While these arrests will not ease the pain of a mother’s loss my hope is for the Leos family to have some peace of mind and to rest assured the CHP will work with the Orange County District Attorney to bring justice for Aiden,” CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray said Sunday.

Authorities continue to investigate.