Police believe the suspect was in the car at the time of the
shooting, but don’t know if he pulled the trigger
Hollister – A San Juan Bautista man arrested last week for attempted murder was charged with participating in and covering up a gang-related drive-by shooting in October that sent a 19-year-old Hollister man to the hospital with a shotgun wound to the abdomen.
San Benito County District Attorney John Sarsfield reviewed the evidence in the case and chose to charge 29-year-old Ramiro Villagomez with felony accessory and felony participation in an act of street terrorism for his role in the shooting – charges that could land him behind bars for a maximum of six years, he said.
“He’s not alleged to be the shooter,” Sarsfield said Wednesday. “The police believe that he was in the car and he gave them some false information to cover for others.”
At the time of the arrest, Villagomez was charged with attempted murder because he is believed to have been an active participant in the crime, Detective Sgt. James Weathers said Thursday. However, without enough evidence to prove that Villagomez had helped others commit the crime, Sarsfield charged him with accessory after the fact for concealing the identity of the shooter, he said. An attempted murder conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of nine years.
Villagomez is scheduled to appear in the San Benito County Superior Court on Jan. 3 for an arraignment hearing, according to court records. At that time, Villagomez’s attorney, Greg La Forge, plans to enter a plea of not guilty, he said.
“My client wasn’t even there,” La Forge said Thursday. “My client is not guilty and we intend to prove his innocence even though we don’t have to. It appears that law enforcement officials are trying to convict my client in the press – we’ll take care of our business in a court of law.”
Under Sarsfield’s new zero-tolerance policy for gun and gang crimes, Villagomez will not be able to plead guilty in exchange for reduced charges.
The charges against Villagomez stem from an incident on Oct. 27 when police responded to Hazel Hawkins Hospital where a 19-year-old Hollister man was seeking medical attention for a shotgun wound to his abdomen. The man told police he was shot while walking in the 1600 block of Central Avenue earlier that night. Witnesses to the incident later told police they saw a white car, possibly a Honda, pull up to the victim and ask, “What do you claim?” The inquiry refers to a common territorial question frequently asked by gang members to determine if someone is a rival gang-member, according to police. Witnesses told police that the victim was shot and the car sped away.
Villagomez was arrested by Hollister police officers after witnesses identified him as being in the car at the time of shooting, Weathers said Wednesday. Police are tracking down several other leads in the case in an attempt to identify the driver and the shooter, he said. When questioned by police, Weathers said Villagomez was not forthcoming about his knowledge of the incident.
“He is denying involvement and knowing anything about it,” Weathers said.
Police believe Villagomez has some kind of leadership position in the Sureno criminal street gang, but do not know exactly what role he plays, Weathers said.
Hollister Police Chief Jeff Miller, who supports Sarsfield’s zero-tolerance policy, was not surprised by the charges.
“I’ve been in this job for 26 years and I’ve seen a lot of sentences,” he said Wednesday. “We prefer as many years as possible, but you have to look at the total picture. I’m a firm believer in checks and balances – we just make the arrests.”
Police officers have been working non-stop on the case since it happened and Miller was glad an arrest was finally made. Officers are also investigating three other gang-related shootings in Hollister that occurred over the last two months, including a drive-by shooting last month that put 15 bullet holes in a Sherwood Drive home and injured one resident.
“They are working hard – I don’t know when they’re sleeping,” he said. “They have taken each of these cases seriously.”
