5 Gang Members to Be Arraigned in Teen's Stabbing Death

Five suspected gang members accused in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy near Oceanside High School over a dispute about graffiti and vandalism are expected at the Vista courthouse today for a preliminary hearing.

Francisco Barajas, 21, Omar Alejandro Garcia, 18, Juan Zarita, 17, Jose Luis Zamora, 18, and Roberto Medina, 18, are charged with murder in the Jan. 29 death of Javier Luna. A judge will decide at the end of the hearing whether there is enough evidence for the defendants to stand trial.

About 1:45 p.m. Jan. 29, officers responding to a reported assault found Luna in the courtyard of an apartment complex in the 200 block of South Weitzel Street, suffering from wounds to his chest. The teen, who lived nearby, was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later, Oceanside police Lt. Leonard Mata said.

A dispute between rival gangs over graffiti and vandalism apparently prompted the fatal assault, Capt. Ray Bechler said when the defendants were arrested in February.

The captain told reporters that investigators believed the defendants sought retaliation for graffiti and vandalism that occurred in their Eastside neighborhood, not far from Crown Heights, where Luna lived.

Bechler said Luna was affiliated with a gang in his neighborhood. However, the victim's relatives said he was not a gang member.

—City News Service