Investigators are still searching for leads in the murder of a Hermosa Beach man who was killed while in his car at the intersection of Pier Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway on March 18.

Officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s homicide bureau are still unsure whether Joel Bues, 25, was killed in a random act of violence or if he knew the suspect.

“We still can’t come up with a motive,” said Sheriff Lt. Dan Rosenberg. “Detectives still don’t know what exactly happened but they are spending a lot of time down there.”

According to Press Information Officer Paul Wolcott, the shooting occurred at approximately 12:45 a.m. while Bues drove northbound on PCH.

A witness saw Bues, who was driving a BMW, pull up to the red light at the intersection in the outside left-hand turning lane. The suspect’s car then pulled up to the BMW on the inside left-hand turning lane. While all three cars waited for the light to turn green, the witness saw the suspect shoot the victim and drive away north on PCH.

The suspect shot Bues in the upper torso and it is believed he died almost immediately.

Police found Bues in his car located in the 1500 block of PCH. Police are calling the murder a car-to-car shooting. Bues’ passenger riding with him witnessed the entire incident. Officers interviewed him and do not consider him a suspect.

“At this point, we just don’t know,” added Rosenberg. “We can look at this case from a lot of different angles, but we first need to establish a motive.”

According to investigators, Bues worked for his father’s company, which specializes in the upkeep of taxi meters. Bues bought the BMW he was driving the night before the shooting.

Hermosa Beach’s last homicide occurred in 1995 when the body of an unidentified infant boy was found dead in a trash can Jan. 10 in front of Aaron Brothers on the corner of Pier Avenue and PCH.

Another high-profile crime also took place later that year when photographer Charles Rathbun murdered 27-year-old Hermosa Beach resident Linda Sobek, a model and former Los Angeles Raiders cheerleader, in November.

Rathbun later led police to Sobek’s body, buried in a shallow grave in the San Gabriel Mountains. Rathbun was later sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Those with any information on the shooting should call Hermosa Beach Sgt. Steve Endom at 318-0360 or Rosenberg at (323) 890-5564.