SALINAS (BCN) — A gang member has been convicted of murder for the 2014 fatal shooting of a man outside a Greenfield bar, the Monterey County District
Attorney announced Friday.
A jury convicted Arnulfo Pineda, 36, formerly of King City, of first-degree murder, use of a firearm and a gang enhancement, according to prosecutors.
Pineda shot and killed 34-year-old Crispen Guajardo on February 23, 2014, allegedly in retaliation for the shooting of a gang associate of Pineda just the day before, prosecutors said.
Pineda, along with two other alleged gang members, approached the victim outside Paraiso Bar in Greenfield and shot him ten times.
An officer who was nearby and heard the shooting saw Pineda running from the scene with a 40-caliber gun in hand.
The officer ordered Pineda to stop. Pineda dropped the gun but continued to run, according to prosecutors.
The officer chased Pineda on foot and was able to apprehend him in an alleyway behind the bar.
The officer however was unable to identify or locate the additional suspects, prosecutors said.
Pineda is a founding member of a Sureno street gang in King City called the Mexican Klan Locos, according to prosecutors.
Pineda is facing up to 75 years to life in prison. He is set to be sentenced on Feb. 16.