A suspect is in custody following an early morning murder in the Home Depot parking lot in Yucca Valley yesterday. According to the Sheriff’s Department, a 77-year-old man, whose name has not yet been released, was stabbed in a recreational vehicle in the parking lot about 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The suspect, later identified as James Webb, 34, of Yucca Valley, fled on foot into the Paradise Valley area and the open desert north of town. Deputies searched the desert and neighborhoods for the suspect on foot, from patrol vehicles, and from a helicopter. A deputy patrolling the streets saw a man matching Webb’s description and pursued him behind a home in the 6400 block of Goleta. About 9:30, deputies converged on the scene and took James Webb into custody at gun point. Sheriff officials said that during the investigation, detectives determined that the victim may have been killed during an apparent car jacking. James Webb was booked at the Morongo Basin Jail on suspicion of murder and burglary and is being held without bail.
