Police say the accused gunman fled in a black Kia before a lengthy CHP pursuit ended near Lancaster.
POMONA, CA— A man accused of killing two people at a Pomona apartment complex was arrested Thursday night after a long California Highway Patrol chase that police say began with a shooting tied to a domestic relationship.
The shooting left a man and a woman dead, stunned relatives and turned a homicide call in Pomona into a pursuit that crossed freeways and mountain roads in northern Los Angeles County. Police identified the suspect as 48-year-old Robert Galtman of Pomona. Investigators were still working to determine the full motive and the relationship between all those involved.
Pomona police said officers were sent about 3:22 p.m. Thursday to the 100 block of East Monterey Avenue after reports of shots fired at an apartment building near Monterey and Garey avenues. Officers found a man and a woman in a hallway with gunshot wounds. Los Angeles County Fire Department paramedics treated them, but both were pronounced dead. Family members later identified the woman as Veronica Lopez, 24. Her mother, Sheila Lopez, spoke at a memorial outside the complex and said, “Why did he kill my baby?” Relatives said Veronica Lopez had been in a relationship with the suspect for about two years.
Police said Galtman fled the area in a black Kia sedan after the shooting. A short time later, an automatic license plate reader detected the vehicle on the northbound 5 Freeway in Sylmar, prompting law enforcement to track the car. The California Highway Patrol then followed the Kia through the Santa Clarita Valley. Authorities considered the driver armed and dangerous as he continued for miles, at times evading spike strips, crossing lanes and driving onto narrow mountain roads. Investigators said the chase lasted roughly an hour and a half before officers stopped the vehicle with a PIT maneuver at about 30 mph in the Antelope Valley. Galtman got out and was taken into custody about 7:30 p.m.
Video from the end of the pursuit showed the driver stepping from the car with his hands raised and walking backward toward officers. Authorities also recovered a small puppy from the vehicle after the arrest. Police did not immediately say whether a gun had been found, whether objects thrown from the car during the chase were recovered, or whether the second person killed had any known relationship to Galtman. The names of the victims were not formally released by police at first because relatives still had to be notified. Family members said they learned Veronica Lopez was among the dead after watching the pursuit on television and recognizing the suspect’s car and the dog inside it.
The case adds to Pomona’s long-running struggle with gun violence. City data posted by Pomona officials says the city recorded 85 people killed in gun violence incidents from May 9, 2014, to Jan. 29, 2024, along with 19 people injured and 24 suspects arrested. The city has said its homicide rate has often exceeded state and national rates. The Monterey Avenue shooting was not described by police as random. Relatives said the killing followed a domestic relationship, and police said the motive remained under investigation. Detectives were expected to examine the couple’s history, any prior calls for service and evidence from the apartment complex, the car and the pursuit route.
Galtman was expected to face review by Los Angeles County prosecutors after Pomona police completed the first stage of the homicide investigation. Police had not announced formal charges by late Friday, and no court date had been made public. The investigation was being handled by the Pomona Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit. Detectives were also expected to work with CHP officers who took part in the pursuit and arrest. Evidence from the hallway, surveillance cameras, license plate reader data and any items tossed from the Kia could become part of the case. Police said the motive was still being examined, leaving key questions unanswered about what happened before the shooting.
Outside the apartment complex, candles, balloons and flowers marked the place where relatives gathered to grieve. Veronica Lopez’s father, Coby Lopez, said his daughter was the youngest of five girls and was happy when family saw her. Her sister, Klarissa Lopez, said the family contacted Pomona police after watching the chase and realizing the car and dog looked familiar. Detectives later confirmed the death, she said. The grief was mixed with confusion as relatives tried to understand how a relationship they knew had ended in violence. Police have not released a detailed account of what witnesses at the complex saw or heard before officers arrived.
Galtman remained in custody as detectives continued to prepare the case for prosecutors. The next major step is the release of formal charging information and any additional victim identification by authorities.
Author note: Last updated June 20, 2026.