(CNS) -- A 29-year-old man is in jail in connection with Thursday's deadly shooting at an El Cajon dentistry office where he had once been a patient.
Police say Mohammed Sabah Abdulkareem of El Cajon shot and killed dentist Benjamin Harouni and wounded another man and a receptionist at Smile Plus Dentistry & Orthodontics in the 400 block of North Magnolia Avenue about 4:15 p.m. Friday. Police say he fled in a rented U-Haul truck and was located about five hours later and arrested near Balboa Park.
Benjamin Harouni died at the scene. He was 28 year old and worked at the office with his father, fellow dentist Jack Harouni.
The two wounded victims include a 28-year-old woman identified in media accounts as Yareli Carrillo and a man in his 40s was not immediately released. They both were in serious but stable condition and are expected to survive.
El Cajon Police Chief Mike Moulton issued a statement saying, "We mourn with the family and friends of the deceased victim and extends heartfelt condolences to those injured in a senseless and evil act of violence."
Though various media organizations, including Yeshiva World News, reported that Benjamin Harouni was a member of the Orthodox Jewish faith and Abdulkareem is Muslim. But police and the Anti-Defamation League stated Friday that there was no immediate evidence the deadly firearm assault constituted a hate crime. Investigators described Abdulkareem as a "disgruntled" former patient of the dental office.
``The shooting at the dentist's office yesterday is heartbreaking and traumatic for the families involved as well as our community at large,'' an El Cajon Police Department statement asserted. ``We understand there are concerns about the suspect's motive. While we are still in the early stages of the investigation, we want to make it clear that there is no indication the attack was racially or politically motivated. As we continue to conduct a thorough investigation, we will keep the community informed of any new developments.''
Within several hours of the shooting, police were able to identify the alleged assailant's getaway vehicle via a license-plate-reading camera system and determine that Abdulkareem had rented it in San Diego, according to El Cajon police Capt. Royal Bates.
About 9 p.m. Thursday, a person who had seen a publicly disseminated photo of the U-Haul truck reported spotting it parked at the western edge of Balboa Park. San Diego police went there and found the unoccupied vehicle near the intersection of Quince Street and Sixth Avenue. A short time later, officers located Abdulkareem in the same general area and took him into custody without incident, Bates said. The suspect allegedly was carrying a loaded handgun and several loaded ammunition cartridges. Records checks on the pistol showed that it had been legally purchased by Abdulkareem two weeks ago, Bates said.
Abdulkareem was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
WATCH BELOW: REPORT FROM SCENE OF SHOOTING
(Photo reporting partner 10News)