Angel Israel Miranda faces 35 years to life for the murder of 60-year-old Stephen Austin Cain on the evening of May 2, 2017 during an attempted carjacking in the Taco Bell parking lot on Daniels Street east of Airport Way in Manteca.

Miranda, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, pled guilty this week in San Joaquin County Superior Court to charges of murder and for using a firearm during the attack. The Manteca man will be formally sentenced on April 15.

 After shooting Cain, Miranda fled toward Airport Way where he carjacked a woman who had just exited from the westbound 120 Bypass and was stopped at a red light at Airport Way. Miranda pointed a gun at the driver through an open passenger side window and forced the woman out of the car. Miranda then fled in her car heading eastbound on the 120 Bypass.

Minutes later Miranda exited Highway 99 in Ripon taking the Jack Tone Road exit and had turned west toward downtown.

Ripon Police Officer Raul Hernandez, unaware the vehicle had been carjacked, noticed there was a registration violation on the car as it passed him. When he attempted to pull Miranda over, he sped away promoting the initiation of a pursuit. Miranda made a left turn onto Harvest Drive and a right onto Blossom Drive and another left into Kiwi Court where Hernandez blocked his exit. A foot pursuit followed and Hernandez tackled Miranda taking him to the ground as Ripon Police backup arrived.

It was not until Ripon Police called Manteca Police to ask for a background on the driver on the car that was registered out of Manteca that they learned they had arrested a murder suspect who was also on parole for a previous conviction.

Hernandez was hired as a Manteca Police officer more than a year ago.