Gang Member Convicted of Shooting at Random Cars

A Marietta man has been convicted of gang and aggravated assault charges after prosecutors proved he shot at random cars as an act of loyalty to his gang.

Johannes Alexander Lopez, 27, was found guilty of 26 counts, including 16 counts of Violation of Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, four counts of aggravated assault, five counts of firearms possession, and one count of criminal damage to property in the first degree. He is facing up to 300 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Evidence shows that Lopez opened fire on two separate red cars during the early morning hours of Sept. 15, 2013. One of the vehicles had a pregnant woman inside, according to prosecutors. All told, four people were shot at by Lopez but none were injured. Lopez had been ordered to shoot at red cars because a rival gang’s primary color is red.

Lopez’s gang, SUR 13, has 75,000 members across the country and has had a long-term presence in Cobb County. Lopez has numerous gang tattoos which signify a lifetime commitment to SUR 13, and he was carrying a blue SUR 13 bandana when he was arrested, prosecutors said.

“These shootings could have resulted in four murders and a feticide. None of that mattered to Mr. Lopez, because the gang comes first. This man embraces SUR 13, its crime and its victimization,” Deputy Chief ADA Michael Scott Carlson told jurors during his closing argument.