Gang members stand accused
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Three men have been charged for the murders of two Santa Monica residents who were shot during a party at the Moose Lodge in March.
After working on the case for more than four months, Santa Monica Police detectives identified three alleged gang members and filed the case with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office on Friday.
The DA’s office issued arrest warrants for Jose Mojarro, 21; William Vasquez, 25; and Ector Hugo Sanchez, 20. Authorities charged them with the murders of Jonathan Hernandez and Hector Bonilla, two young Santa Monica men shot multiple times on March 5 at the Moose Lodge at 1600 Ocean Park Blvd.
The three suspects are believed to be 18th Street gang members from Los Angeles, according to the SMPD. The three suspects face two counts of murder, with special allegations of gang enhancements and use of firearms during a gang crime, and a third count of assault with a deadly weapon. If convicted, each of the three men could face life without parole or the death penalty.
Mojarro has been in custody since July 5 for a parole violation related to a battery on emergency personnel. He served one and a half years of a two-year term in the Department of Corrections from July 2003 to November 2004. Mojarro also is in the process of being deported, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Sanchez and Vasquez are still at large, according to the SMPD. Sanchez, who police say also is known as Eric Nunez and “Enemy,” was released in January of 2005 from the Department of Corrections after completing more than two years of a three-year prison term for robbery.
Vasquez, who police say also is known as “Crook,” doesn’t have a prior criminal record listed with the state or county.
Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the DA’s office, said an arraignment date for Mojarro hasn’t been set.
Nearly 70 witnesses to the shooting, each of whom were attending a birthday party at the Moose Lodge, said more than a dozen shots were fired by the suspects, who allegedly opened fire on Hernandez and Bonilla after an altercation.
Bonilla was shot multiple times in his torso and head, while Hernandez suffered more extensive wounds to his torso, head and buttocks, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Coroner.
A third victim, who witnesses said threw a chair at the gunmen in an attempt to stop the shooting, was shot in the leg and released from St. John’s Health Care Center two days later, according to authorities. The third person’s identity has not been released. He apparently did-n’t know Bonilla or Hernandez.
According to Internet articles, the 18th Street gang was formed in the 1960s around the Rampart area of Los Angeles. Some criminologists say 18th Street is the most violent street gang in LA. It is reportedly the largest and fastest-growing street gang, comprised of several smaller groups throughout the county, with some estimates ranging between 8,000 and 30,000 members, many of whom are illegal immigrants. 18th Street gang members are reportedly identified by the “666” tattoos that add up to 18 — the number of the gang’s name.
Experts attribute a higher level of organization to the gang, in part because of close ties to Central and South American drug cartels.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 30, 2005. Read the original PDF.