2 arrested in slaying of woman who interrupted home burglary

Published Fri, Jun 1, 2018 (9:22 p.m.)

Updated Sat, Jun 2, 2018 (7:49 p.m.)

Two suspects connected with the fatal shooting of a woman, who on Wednesday pulled into her northwest valley driveway and interrupted a burglary, have been arrested in the Los Angeles area after a “lengthy pursuit,” according to Metro Police.

Details on Friday’s arrests, which were confirmed by Metro homicide Lt. Ray Spencer, were not available Friday evening.

The suspects were later identified as 18-year-old Kamari Collins and an unnamed 17-year-old, police said.

Sheri Aoyagi, a 60-year-old United Airlines flight attendant, and her husband about 3:30 p.m. had arrived to their home in the 6400 block of Morley Avenue, near Torrey Pines Drive and Smoke Ranch Road, when they encountered a car parked in their driveway.

The victim got out of her vehicle as two men, who’d ransacked the couple's property, were exiting the house, police said. Gunfire erupted and Aoyagi was fatally struck in the chest.

Her husband, who was slow to get out of the vehicle due to his wheelchair use, witnessed the shooting, police said.

After the shooting, police found the suspects’ unoccupied white Chrysler 300 a few miles south, police said.

“We are going to work this nonstop, making sure we get these people in custody. The people on this street absolutely should be shocked in the sense that this happened on their street,” Spencer said Wednesday from the crime scene.

“The entire United family is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of flight attendant Sheri Aoyagi, and our thoughts are with her loved ones,” said Maddie King, a spokesman of the airline in a written statement.

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