Man in car with suspect’s girlfriend is beaten to death in Chino Hills

A Chino Hills resident was arrested on suspicion of murder Wednesday, Dec. 19, after authorities say he pulled a man out of a car in which the suspect’s girlfriend was sitting and beat the man to death.

Ivan Mejia, 44, is being held without bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. No motive for the attack was disclosed.

About 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, a woman with blood on her clothing ran into a hotel in the 15400 block of Fairfield Ranch Road in Chino Hills yelling for help, a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department news release said. Deputies arrived to find a man in the parking lot suffering from injuries to his head. The man, identified as 54-year-old Chino HIlls resident Martin Zendejas, was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Detectives found Mejia as he was leaving his home and arrested him.

The Sheriff’s Department asks that anyone with information on the case call Detective Chuck Phillips at 909-387-3589 or leave tips anonymously with WeTip at 800-782-7463 or its website at wetip.com.