Glendale police have arrested two men in connection with the death of a high school sophomore who police say was either pushed from or dragged by a moving car during a robbery attempt last week.
Lino Chavez and Jose Solis Apodaca, both 18, were arrested for the murder of 16-year-old Anita Munoz, who died yesterday morning after suffering head injuries sustained during last Wednesday's robbery.
According to police, Munoz was sitting on a bench near the office of her apartment complex near 6700 West Ocotillo Road when Chavez and Apodaca rolled up in a blue Nissan Xterra.
Chavez stayed in the driver's seat of the car while Apodaca got out and tried to steal a computer the girl was using.
Munoz, family members later told police, had taken her laptop to the office to use the Internet so she could apply for jobs because she wanted to help her mother with bills.
The struggle between Munoz and Apodaca moved from the bench to the car as the girl fought to keep her computer.
According to court records obtained by New Times, Munoz had her hands in the window of the car as she fought to keep her laptop. When Chavez tried to drive off, the girl fell from the vehicle and hit her head on the sidewalk.
The car used in the attack didn't belong to either of the men -- it belonged to Chavez's mother, who was quick to call police when her son came home and told her he may have hit someone with her car.
Chavez, who at the time had an unrelated warrant out for his arrest, told his mother that he was with Apodaca the day of the attack -- whom she knew to be a "bad person" -- and he tried to steal Munoz's laptop. He told her he'd seen some media reports about the incident, and the girl might have been injured.
Chavez's mom relayed this information to police, which led to the arrests.
Both men have been charged with first-degree murder. Chavez is being held on $500,000 bail. Apodaca was granted no bail because he is in the country illegally.
