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Shooting suspects belong to gangs
5/2/2005 6:22 PM
By: Mercer Merrill, News 14 Carolina

I-77 Shooting

Police believe that five suspects are involved in Hispanic gangs that are only about a year old.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A second suspect has been charged in connection with a shooting last month on Interstate 77.

Jose Antonio Soberanes, 20, was arrested this weekend by immigration agents. And like 17-year-old Juan Carlos Andres, he has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Police say that Andres and Soberanes were in the dark car that pulled up beside the sport utility vehicle of Jairon Ochoa-Herrera on April 21. Ochoa-Herrera, 17, said he was driving with friends near the Arrowood Road exit when the car pulled up beside him and someone started shooting.


Jairon Ochoa-Herrera, 17, was traveling on Interstate 77 when his vehicle was shot at April 21.
Three shots pierced the SUV. Two struck Ochoa-Herrera, although the injuries were not life-threatening.

Police believe that Andres, Soberanes and three other people in the car are involved in Hispanic gangs that are only about a year old.

"We have up to three different gangs that were inside the vehicle at the time,� said Officer W.C. Hastings of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s gang unit. “The one in custody, Juan Andres, was a member of the Malditos gang.�

Hastings said Soberanes is a member of the MH (“Most Hated�) gang and that the three other suspects are members of DEI (“Destroy Everything in Sight�).


Crystal Slade and Emily McCain live off Central Avenue, and they said they have seen an increase in gang activity this past year.
Malditos, MH and DEI are rivals of the MS-13 gang, Hastings said. MS-13 has built a reputation for violence.

"Some branch off from MS-13, not very many,� Hastings said. “It's hard to say why they come here to Charlotte."

The shooting has many Charlotte-area families worried for their safety.

Crystal Slade and Emily McCain live off Central Avenue, and they said they have seen an increase in gang activity this past year.

"The little gangs that we’ve had in the past, they’re not as bad as these,� Slade said.

Ochoa-Herrera, a student from E.E. Waddell High School, said he is not involved in any gang.

Police are still investigating the attack.