Vista, CA — On 02/26/2019, at approximately 5:30 PM, a 19 year old male victim was walking to the Vista Skate Park located at 510
North Santa Fe Avenue, Vista. The victim was approached by a group of males. After a short exchange, the group of males began to physically assault the male without provocation before stealing his backpack. During the attack, one of the suspects produced a knife. The victim was able to take the knife from the attacker before running from the area. During the crime, the suspects stole the victim’s backpack, wallet, and cell phone. The victim suffered minor physical injuries from the assault.
The case was initially investigated by patrol deputies from the Vista Station, then detectives from the Street Narcotics and Gang Detail (SNGD). It wasdiscovered the crime was recorded on surveillance cameras from surrounding businesses. During the course of the investigation, it was determined four known gang members and one non-gang member were responsible for the crime. Some of the suspects were recorded “flashing” gang signs during the course of the crime on surveillance video.
Over the following four days, all five suspects were located and arrested by detectives from SNGD and Deputies assigned to Vista’s Gang Enforcement Team. The charges included 211 PC – Robbery, 186.22 PC –Gang crime violations, and 496 PC –Possession of stolen property. Most of the suspects were already on probation and placed on probation holds. All the suspects in this crime are juveniles.
