2 Salinas​ Men Convicted In 2018 Gang Shootings

MONTEREY COUNTY, CA — Two gang members were convicted this week of carrying out a plan to gun down rivals two years ago in Salinas that resulted in serious injuries to one victim, according to the Monterey County District Attorney's Office.

Sergio Rodriguez, 25, and Francisco Garcia, 29, both of Salinas, were convicted by a jury on Thursday of 22 felony counts, including five counts of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder with enhancements involving discharge of firearms causing great bodily injury, District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni said Friday.

In August 2018, Rodriguez and Garcia stole a car and went with two other men to a rival gang area in Salinas to look for rival members to kill, according to the district attorney.

In the neighborhood, Rodriguez fired multiple rounds at a moving car that had three people inside. At that point, the pair fled the scene and tried to carjack another resident who was driving into a local trailer park.

Their "mission" continued as they drove to Lamp Lighter Apartment Complex, where they fired more than 11 rounds at two victims who were standing on the street, the district attorney said.

Both victims were hit and one suffered multiple gunshot wounds and underwent successful surgeries.

The defendants were identified from video surveillance obtained from multiple homes near the crime scene, showing them driving to and from the scene of the shooting and abandoning their vehicle in another location.

Rodriguez and Garcia were arrested and at the time of the arrest, Garcia was in possession of a semi-automatic weapon connected to the second shooting, according to the district attorney.

The defendants are scheduled for sentencing Sept. 23 in the Monterey County Superior Court.

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