A man charged in a 2018 murder in the Los Angeles area was released from jail by mistake and on the loose late Tuesday, authorities said.
Steven Manzo, 24, is thought to have been freed because of a data entry error, law enforcement sources said.
Manzo vanished after running across the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles in jail clothes. Sources said officials discovered that an incorrect entry in a computer system had led to his release, but it was not clear who made the mistake.
Long Beach police public information officer Allison Gallagher said in a statement that Manzo should not have been released but did not say how it happened or who was to blame.
"Earlier today, we were notified by the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office that suspect Steven Manzo was released from custody after our Department had already filed criminal charges," Gallagher said.
"Upon further review, it was determined he should not have been released," she said.
Los Angeles County online jail records show an entry of a dismissed murder case, apparently in error, and a release time of 2:12 p.m.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which runs the county jails and is responsible for moving most inmates awaiting trial to and from court, referred questions to Long Beach police.
Manzo is charged in the July 28, 2018, fatal shooting of Salvador Corrales, 24.
He was arrested in March 2020, Long Beach police said at the time. The shooting is thought to have occurred after a dispute in a parking lot.
Long Beach's police department will work with local agencies "to make every effort to locate suspect Manzo to take him safely into custody," Gallagher said.
Long Beach, a city of about 466,000, is in the southern part of Los Angeles County. The 101 Freeway, a major artery in Los Angeles, was shut down in both directions during the search for Manzo on Tuesday.
