Marquis Ford, 24, was taken into custody for his alleged involvement in the shooting death of Jose Ruiz Gutierrez, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. Ford, an L.A. resident, was booked on suspicion of murder and was being held in lieu of $2 million bail.
Gutierrez, 23, was waiting in a car outside Bossa Nova restaurant, in the 7100 block of Sunset Boulevard, at around 2 a.m. on Nov. 23 when his girlfriend stepped out and was accosted by a group of men who tried to rob her, investigators said.
Gutierrez, who was armed with a weapon, got out of the car to intervene and was fatally shot before the suspects fled, an LAPD spokesperson said.
Authorities believe Ford was tied -- with four others -- to a rash of follow-home robberies that plagued the city.
4 men arrested in deadly follow-home robbery outside popular Hollywood restaurant
4 arrested in deadly follow-home robbery near Hollywood restaurant
An LAPD task force on follow-home robberies, with assistance from an LAPD SWAT unit and Beverly Hills, Glendale and Fontana police, made four arrests on Dec. 21 in various locations in Los Angeles and Fontana.
The suspects were Jayon Sanders, 21, Abraham Castillo, 20, Tyree Singleton, 20, and Joshua Saulsberry, 21.
Sanders, Castilllo and Singleton have all been charged with murder, robbery and attempted robbery. Saulsberry is charged with robbery.
Detectives recovered a handgun, a replica handgun, more than $30,000 in cash, handbags, a Rolex watch, gang paraphernalia and two vehicles allegedly used in the crimes, police said.
City News Service contributed to this report.