Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. killed a girl and tried to cheat justice
By Daniel Okafor · Reporting from New York ·
Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. forced entry into a home to kill a girl before shooting himself in Pasadena, an exit planned to cheat the justice system and avoid a courtroom.
Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. is the man who broke a door to kill a girl. He did not enter as a guest or a partner in a shared moment. He forced his way into a residence to commit a murder. The facts of the case show a man who planned a killing and then planned his own exit to avoid a courtroom.
A shattered door in Arcadia
The violence began just after 11 a.m. on Thursday. Arcadia police responded to a call at the 800 block of West Huntington Drive. A caller reported that a man inside a home had fired a gun. When officers arrived, they found a juvenile girl with a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department identified the suspect as 20-year-old Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. According to the Los Angeles Times, Cruz and the victim were in a dating relationship. The Sheriff's Department stated that Cruz "forced entry" into the residence. Video from the scene showed a shattered glass balcony door at the apartment complex.
Cruz did not stay to face the girl he killed or the officers who arrived. He fled the scene before the police could secure the perimeter. This was not a sudden lapse in judgment. The act of forcing entry proves a deliberate intent to reach the victim. He broke the glass to reach the girl. He used a gun to end her life.
Cruz fled to Pasadena
Cruz spent the next hour in flight. He drove to Pasadena and parked in a lot near a Petco. Michael Amini, the manager at Alliance Auto Body Works, watched the scene from across the street.
The Pasadena Police Department located Cruz on S. Arroyo Parkway. As officers prepared to contact him, Cruz shot himself. Amini said he saw the man lying face down on the floor.
Pasadena city spokesperson Lisa Derderian said Cruz was transported to a hospital. ABC7 Los Angeles reported that he remained in critical condition. By shooting himself, Cruz attempted to seize control of the ending. He killed a girl who could not defend herself, then he attempted to kill the only person left to answer for it.
Was this remorse?
Some may argue that this was a tragedy of mental illness or a crime of passion. They might say the suicide attempt proves the suspect's remorse. This is not how the evidence works. Remorse is a confession and a surrender. A self-inflicted wound in a parking lot is a tactical retreat.
This is the same mechanism found in the Columbine High School massacre. In that case, the perpetrators committed a mass killing and then committed suicide to avoid capture. They chose the timing and the method of their own deaths to ensure they would never stand before a judge. Cruz followed that same script. He committed a violent crime and then attempted suicide to avoid the law. The killer decides that the life of the victim is worth less than the killer's own freedom from a prison cell. The suicide is the final act of a man who refuses to accept the consequences of his actions.
The cost of the silence
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Division is now handling the investigation. Based on the record of the October 2024 deputy-involved shooting, the department will likely release finalized autopsy findings and medical updates within ten days. This will confirm whether Cruz survived his attempt or if the state is left with a closed file and an empty dock.
The real story now moves to the San Gabriel Valley. This crime was the result of teen dating violence. Following the August 2026 Riverside County teen homicide, local advocacy groups launched safety forums and prevention resources within weeks. The community must now do the same.
The facts show a pattern of predation. Cruz forced entry into a home. He shot a girl. He fled to another city. He shot himself. He left behind a dead child and a shattered door. The only verdict that matters is that Paul Anthony Cruz Jr. destroyed a life and then tried to cheat the justice system. He failed the girl, and he failed the law.
Sources
- ABC7 Los Angeles: 2 dead, including teenage girl, as police investigation unfolds in Arcadia and Pasadena
- Los Angeles Times: Teenage girl killed at Arcadia home; suspected shooter attempts suicide in Pasadena, police say
- CBS News: 20-year-old man allegedly shoots juvenile girl to death in Arcadia apartment
- Pasadena Star News: Girl shot, killed in Arcadia; possible suspect later dies of self-inflicted gunshot wound