PICO RIVERA, CA – A man was arrested Thursday evening in connection with the fatal shooting of a 13-year-old boy outside a neighborhood gas station, an incident authorities described as both senseless and unprovoked.

Andres Adan Chavez, 20, was apprehended less than a mile from the crime scene following a traffic stop on Whittier Boulevard, according to local officials. Chavez faces a murder charge in the slaying of Saith Mendez, who was killed Saturday night as he waited for his mother to finish her work shift.

The shooting occurred shortly before midnight at a gas station along the 8800 block of Whittier Boulevard. Investigators say Mendez was waiting in his mother’s car while she worked as an attendant, then briefly entered the station to speak with her before returning outside.

Moments after the teen left the store, a tan four-door vehicle pulled into the lot. Deputies say the driver exited the car and began talking with the victim’s mother at the service window. Meanwhile, Chavez allegedly got out from the rear passenger seat and lingered nearby.

As Mendez approached the station, officials say he walked near Chavez without any interaction or confrontation. Suddenly and without provocation, Chavez is accused of drawing a firearm, walking up to the boy, and shooting him at close range.

Authorities report that the assailant fired several shots, even standing over the victim after the initial gunfire. Chavez then fled into a residential area on foot, evading law enforcement for several days.

The other occupants of the tan vehicle, a male driver and a female passenger, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators. Both were questioned and released without charges.

Law enforcement personnel launched a widespread search following the shooting, calling the killing “unacceptable” and urging the public to help remove violent individuals from the community. Chavez was eventually located and detained without resistance. He is currently being held at the Pico Rivera Sheriff’s Station on $2 million bail.

Detectives have not disclosed a motive for the killing, but stressed that there was no evidence of a previous dispute between the suspect and the victim. Officials emphasized the tragedy of the incident, which unfolded in front of the boy’s mother while she was at work.

Mendez was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. The case remains under investigation as prosecutors prepare formal charges.