SAN JOSE — Police have announced an arrest in a brazen 2018 shooting outside a South San Jose restaurant that injured three people and nearly wounded a child following a clash inside the eatery.
Miguel Vergara Perez, 26, of Rohnert Park, was arrested in December in connection with the Aug. 9, 2018 shooting in front of the La Victoria restaurant on Almaden Expressway near Cherry Avenue, according to a San Jose Police Department news release posted Wednesday.
Police say Vergara Perez was with a man and woman, and all of them were seen in surveillance video arguing with another group inside the restaurant. When the confrontation spilled outside, a man seen in footage wearing a dark Golden State Warriors baseball cap pulled out a gun and opened fire with several bystanders nearby.
Three people were hit by the gunfire. The gunman was identified as Vergara Perez by SJPD detectives, who re-opened the shooting investigation in November “after developing new leads,” police said.
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On Dec. 12, police arrested Vergara Perez in Rohnert Park. Jail records show he was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail that same day, and is currently being held without bail.
Vergara Perez was charged with attempted murder Dec. 14, and on Jan. 19, the felony case advanced toward trial following a preliminary hearing, according to court records. The police news release did not give an explanation for why the arrest was announced after more than two months.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the SJPD homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or email Detective Sgt. Ivan Barragan at [email protected] or Detective Catherine Van Brande at [email protected]. Tips can also be left with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at siliconvalleycrimestoppers.org.
