Double Murder Suspect In Manhunt Arrested With Gun Trove In LA

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 34-year-old man suspected of shooting his parents to death in Louisiana was arrested in Los Angeles with a trove of guns and body armor, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department announced Sunday.

Detectives located Joshua Brocato inside a white Ford E-150 van parked along the 5400 block of Fairfax Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. Friday, according a sheriff's department spokesperson. Along with Brocato, police found the body-armor and several loaded firearms, including an assault rifle in the van, according to the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department.

Brocato was arrested without incident. He was arrested on suspicion of possessing a loaded unregistered firearm, possession of an assault rifle and altering or removing a serial weapon on a firearm.

Brocato was wanted by the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of murder for the shooting deaths of his mother and father Monday or Tuesday in Louisiana's rural Amite area. Authorites believed he fled to California, and deputies spotted his van on Friday.

"Around 1 p.m., Thursday, April 3, 2025, TPSO was requested to conduct a welfare check on a home on Eastwood Drive in the Amite area, Louisiana. When TPSO deputies arrived, they found 66-year-old Priscilla Brocato deceased inside the residence," the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department said in a written statement. "Her husband, 75-year-old Marc Brocato, was later found deceased on the couple’s property. Their son, Joshua Brocato, was unaccounted for and initially sought as a person of interest. Following autopsies of the couple, an arrest warrant for two counts of 1st Degree Murder was issued for Joshua Brocato by TPSO."

Authorities did not publicly identify a motive for the shootings.

Brocato was booked at Marina Del Rey Sheriff’s Station and held without bail.

Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Gerald Sticker encourages anyone with information to contact Criminal Investigations at 985-902-2088 or Louisiana State Police Suspicious Activity Hotline at 1-800-434-8007, and anonymous tips can be made at 1-800-554-5245.