A possible suspect in the June Malibu Creek State Park shootings was arrested on Wednesday, authorities said, according to CBS News.
Anthony Rauda, 42, dressed in black and carrying a rifle, was found in the same area where Tristan Beaudette, a 35-year-old dad who was camping with his two young kids in California, was shot to death by an unknown assailant, CBS News said.
A vast search was launched following a string of burglaries over the past two year in the Calabasas-Malibu area but investigators intensified their efforts last week after viewing surveillance footage that showed a suspected burglar armed with a rifle and wearing a black mask, CBS News reported.
Dozens of law enforcement officers were searching the canyon area of Malibu Creek on Wednesday when Rauda emerged from the bush, where he may have been living, and surrendered.
Rauda reportedly has a long criminal history and is currently being held for a parole violation, however, investigators have not ruled out his link to the June killings.
That fatal shooting took place after Beaudette decided to give his wife some space to study for an upcoming exam by taking his two daughters, ages 2 and 4, camping for the weekend.
Things took a tragic turn when the father of two was shot in the upper torso.
At the time, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Rodney Moore said they believed he was shot inside his tent, according to The Los Angeles Times. His two children were believed to have been in the tent when the shooting occurred.
CBS Los Angeles reported that this is not the first time the campsite has had an issue with gunfire.
Last year, Meliss Tatangelo was camping at the same place when she reported hearing a loud noise that sounded like gunfire at around 5 a.m. She later discovered a bullet in the back of her car.
Authorities said Rauda's rifle will undergo ballistic testing before investigators can determined if it was used in any crimes.
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