Malibu Creek State Park: a man arrested near a park where Tristan Beaudette was killed while camping with his daughters

CALABASAS, Calif. – A man dressed in black and carrying a rifle was arrested Wednesday near Malibu Creek National Park, where a camper was shot while he was sleeping in a tent in June, the authorities said. A large search involving deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff, a helicopter, search and rescue teams and detectives led to the arrest of Anthony Rauda, ​​42, said the sheriff Jim McDonnell at a press conference in the evening.

The search was triggered by a series of at least eight burglaries in the past two years in the Calabasas-Malibu region, in which food had been stolen from local buildings. But for the time being, Rauda, ​​who has a long criminal record, is only being held for violating parole, the sheriff said.

The investigators had not ruled out a possible connection with the shooting in the wild park, and the rifle will be subjected to ballistic tests to determine if it was used in crimes, said the sheriff.

Only hours after his arrest, Rauda was detained without bail. We did not know if he had a lawyer.

The authorities were looking for someone who broke into several offices and other buildings in the Malibu Canyon area as early as October 2016, including a series of burglaries in the last three months, McDonnell said. The investigation intensified after the October 4 robbery, in which a surveillance video recorded the alleged burglar wearing a mask and armed with a rifle.

On Tuesday, someone used a stone to break the glass door of the Agoura Hills-Calabasas community center and stole food from a vending machine.

On Wednesday, dozens of MPs began searching the canyon and after several hours, new footprints of boots led to a steep ravine located about a kilometer north of a road, McDonnell said.

Shortly after, the researchers heard a movement in the undergrowth and saw a man walk quickly. They arrested the man, dressed in black and armed with a rifle, who surrendered, McDonnell said.

"I do not know if he lived in the wild or where there was housing there," said the sheriff.

Stu Mundel, of CBS Los Angeles, reported according to the station 's press helicopter that there were a lot of deputy ministers – some of them – infiltrators – and some of them. investigators on the scene. He added that they had been seen "with boxes and bags of evidence" coming down from an area above Malibu Creek National Park.

Rauda has a criminal record for burglary and weapons violations, he said.

Rauda could potentially be murdered if the investigation links him to the death of Tristan Beaudette35 years old from Irvine. Beaudette was shot in the head while he was camping with his two daughters aged 2 and 4 in Malibu Creek National Park on June 22nd.

The park was closed after the murder.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department later stated that there had been seven more shootings in and around the park since 2016.

James Rogers, a wildlife biologist, told the Los Angeles Times that he had been shot dead in November 2016 while he was sleeping in a hammock south of the park and that he needed to see him. 39, a surgical procedure to remove shotgun bullets from his arm.

Malibu Creek State Park extends over more than 12 square miles in the steep mountains of Santa Monica to the west of Los Angeles. It offers camping, hiking, biking, climbing as well as an overview of places used for filming and Hollywood TV shows, such as "MASH".