Friday, August 15, 2008

Two more suspects arrested in stabbing

COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Two more suspects were arrested Thursday for allegedly participating in a Sunday night gang stabbing on upper State Street that prevented a witness from testifying in the murder trial of Ricardo “Ricky” Juarez.
The 18-year-old victim, whose name has not been released by police and was blacked out in police reports, was scheduled to testify in the high-profile murder trial two days after the assault.

Juarez, 15, is being tried as an adult for the killing of 15-year-old Luis Angel Linares, who died as a result of several stab wounds he sustained during a March 14, 2007, State Street gang melee.
Those arrested in connection with the Sunday gang assault now include 19-year-old Jorge Bustos and a 16-year-old girl. On Monday, Santa Barbara police arrested 18-year-old Pablo Enrique Lopez for allegedly participating in the assault.
Police records examined by the Daily Sound identified Lopez as a member of the Eastside “Traviesos” gang.
Authorities said the three suspects attacked the victim at the Guest House Inn on upper State Street just after 8 p.m.
Police records show the victim suffered a stab wound to the chest, causing his lung to collapse. He also sustained a severe cut on his face, splitting his nose and upper lip, as well as lacerations to his leg and right shoulder, police records show.
Surveillance video from the hotel shows a black Nissan Altima tailing the victim in an alleyway behind the hotel. After disappearing from view momentarily, the victim reappears being pursued by the suspects.
As they entered the hotel courtyard, the suspects tackle the victim into a planter. One suspect appears to slash the victim with a knife while the other two pummel him with kicks and punches.
The surveillance video also shows the victim enter the hotel lobby, where blood sprays from one of his wounds onto the floor and walls.
Police documents show that detectives learned Eastside gang members had caught wind of the victim’s statements to police about the Linares slaying while investigating an unrelated gang homicide.
By cooperating with authorities, the victim, identified in police reports as a known Eastside gang member as well, had apparently become a target of his own gang.
Police have not yet said how many of the suspects used a knife in the attack. It is also not clear if the victim will take the stand during the trial, which concluded its sixth day yesterday and will resume Monday in Superior Court.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Last spring, Pablo Lopez was incarcerated for yet another criminal infraction, and well aware that he faced deportation. As an illegal alien, even that consequence did not deter him from participating in gang activity. His Probation Officer and the judge who gave him yet another chance, are responsible for enabling him to be a predator. The latest victim should sue them both.

Anonymous said...

pablo lopez is not a bad person. yes he's had a not so good past but he was changing for the better. he graduated, just got a job, was straightening up is life and making better decisions. pablo is an innocent man being accused of many things that he didn' do. the latest victim put himself in that situation and the other suspects in this case should be the ones facing the most time.

Anonymous said...

he's innocent!! i think that they should get on top of this case so he can be let out already. it seems as iff nobody is interested in finding the driver of the car or the other girl who was in it. they need to find those girls. and fast because the more that people talk the more it helps the case. pablo lopez hasn't been incarcerated for a long amount of time. his charges have been minor. and this is his first offense. he's not a bad man.

Anonymous said...

there was only one person who brought out a knife. if they looked closely at his wounds they would be able to tell its the same knife. and he was injured by only one of those guys. and the guy who brought out the knife should be in jail for life sentence or close to it.