Three young men accused of taking part in a string of pellet gun shootings allegedly targeting the LGBTQ+ community in Hillcrest pleaded not guilty Thursday.
Angelo Nathaniel Aron, Arturo Herrera-Sustaita and Anthony Lopez-Quinonez, all 19, face battery charges and hate crime allegations.
San Diego Superior Court Judge John Pro ruled that the trio could remain out of custody as long as they stay away from the area where the attacks took place and agree to what’s known as a 4th Amendment waiver, which allows them to be searched without a warrant or probable cause.
The incidents involved six victims who were struck by gel pellets in the 300 and 400 blocks of University Avenue on the night of Sept. 7.
The three defendants were arrested last Thursday, while another man, Hernan Garduno Hernandez, also 19, was taken into custody – he also pleaded not guilty – in September.
The men face up to six years and four months in prison if convicted of all the counts.
San Diego police said a vehicle allegedly used by the suspects during the shootings was found through the department’s license plate reader system, which led to identifying the suspects.
While no facts of the case were discussed in court Thursday, a prosecutor at Hernandez’s arraignment in September said the attacks happened within a brief period, from about 9:40 to 10:10 p.m.
At that hearing, Deputy District Attorney Mei Owen said a group of friends standing outside the Burger Lounge restaurant were fired on first. Three of the victims were struck in the arms and legs, she said.
About 15 minutes later, an employee of Urban Mo’s Bar & Grill was outside when he was hit by a gel pellet, according to the prosecutor. Twelve minutes later, a couple walking out of Urban Mo’s was struck, Owen said. They saw a car drive past and heard laughter coming from the vehicle.
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