CA Two teens arrested in drive-by shooting of Soquel High ba
Two teens arrested in drive-by shooting of Soquel High basketball star
Jennifer Squires - Sentinel staff writer
Article Launched: 03/16/2008 04:05:02 AM PDT
SOQUEL -- Deputies arrested two teens early Saturday on suspicion they shot a 17-year-old Soquel High basketball star in a gang-motivated drive-by Friday afternoon.
The victim, Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League co-MVP Daniel Cross, is recovering from his injuries. Cross was shot twice in the right leg, flown to a San Jose-area hospital for treatment and sent home late Friday, according his mother, Rachel Cross.
"He's doing well," she said. "He's in a lot of pain. He's just got to heal."
Cross was a standout basketball player at Soquel this season, helping the Knights to the co-championship in the SCCAL. Cross, a 6-foot-4 forward, led the team in scoring and was named co-MVP along with teammate Felipe Mendez.
It's unclear if the teens arrested knew Cross. Detectives did not say if they've been students at Soquel High and the Cross family said they don't know why the basketball player was targeted.
"It's just a random thing," Rachel Cross said. "We haven't had any issues with this."
One bullet struck Cross in the leg and passed through; the other is lodged under his kneecap, according to his mother. Doctors told his family it's too soon to tell if Cross will be able to play basketball again.
"We won't know until we get an MRI to see the extent of the damage," his mom said.
But she said she was relieved to learn two people had been arrested in connection with the shooting. Detectives worked through the night to track down the suspects.
"It's pretty remarkable how they did it," Sgt. Roy Morales said. "They followed leads and made arrests in less than 24 hours."
The suspected shooter, Abisai Natanel Elisondo, 18, was arrested at his Aptos home around 3 a.m. and detectives arrested the suspected driver, Luis Alfredo Ocegueda, 19, around 8 a.m. when they served a search warrant at his home in Capitola, according to Sgt. Mario Sulay.
The shooting happened on a stretch of Thurber Lane just down the hill from Santa Cruz Gardens Elementary School around 3:40 p.m. Friday. Neighbors said it sounded like fireworks.
Cross and a few friends were in front of his house on the road when a dark red two-door convertible BMW rolled by and Elisondo allegedly fired a handgun at least six times, according to the Sheriff's Office.
Detectives reported the drive-by followed a fight between two gangs in Soquel Village that occurred just after 3 p.m. Friday. Cross and two of his friends were allegedly involved in the clash, though detectives did not say what role they played in the fight. Deputies did not say Cross is a gang member.
After the shooting, detectives worked with people who'd witnessed the fight and the shooting and identified the suspected vehicle, the driver and the shooter, according to Sulay.
Detectives went to Elisondo's house in the middle of the night and arrested him on suspicion of attempted murder, using a firearm, participating in a gang-related crime and causing serious injury, according to the Sheriff's Office. Elisondo was booked into County Jail on $700,000 bail.
Later Saturday morning, detectives found the suspected car parked near Rosedale Avenue in Capitola and impounded it. Detectives did not find the gun that was used in the shooting.
They obtained a search warrant for Ocegueda's house and arrested him there on suspicion of attempted murder and participating in a gang-related crime. Ocegueda was booked into County Jail on $400,000 bail.
Detectives did not say if they anticipate more arrests, although reports Friday stated there were also girls in the shooter's car.
Sheriff's deputies will be doing extra patrols near Soquel High School, according to authorities.
"Soquel administrators are working with Sheriff's Office administration on security at the campus," Morales said.
Officials will meet today to complete those plans, according to Soquel High Principal Ken Lawrence-Emanuel.
"We're very, very concerned," he said. "We're not going to try to go over the top and alarm anybody. We just want people to feel secure."
Lawrence-Emanuel pointed out there's no indication Friday's fight and shooting began on campus.
"I'm not quite sure where this came from," he said.
However, there have been instances of gang intimidation at the school this year and a recent upsurge of gang-related graffiti in Soquel Village and Live Oak, according to the Sheriff's Office.
In late January, a 16-year-old Live Oak boy allegedly gunned down a 27-year-old man in the middle of 17th Avenue.
It's unclear if those incidents are connected to Friday's fight and shooting, but Cross' mother, Rachel, said she's worried about the ongoing violence.
"It's been happening. We know it's been going on throughout here and Live Oak. You've got to be nervous everywhere around here these days," she said.
Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.
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