SALINAS VALLEY — Three Norteño gang members have been ordered to stand trial on dozens of charges connected to two mass-casualty shootings that devastated South Monterey County in early 2024, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Nov. 13 that Judge Rafael Vazquez held Pedro Nava, Jonathan Cervantes and Angel Evans to answer for the crimes following a weeklong preliminary hearing that concluded the week of Oct. 27. At such hearings, a judge determines whether there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.
Prosecutors say all three defendants face charges tied to the Feb. 4, 2024, killings of cousins Jack Canchola and Andres Salvador Garcia near Soledad and the March 3, 2024, shooting at a family party in King City that left four people dead and seven others wounded. The men are also accused of conspiring to commit murder, attempting to kill multiple survivors at the King City gathering, firing into a vehicle and an inhabited home, and committing gang-related offenses.
Judge Vazquez also found probable cause for multiple special circumstances attached to the homicide charges, including allegations that the defendants discharged firearms and committed the crimes to benefit the Norteño gang, specifically the Tiny Locos faction based in Greenfield.
Cervantes and Evans face additional charges tied to an armed robbery the night before the February killings. The District Attorney’s Office said the pair, along with two uncharged suspects, robbed a Big 5 sporting goods store at Northridge Mall in Salinas while armed and fled with more than $2,000 in ammunition.
Evans alone faces still more allegations, including vehicle theft, damaging a vehicle, identity theft and unlawful firearm activity. Prosecutors say Evans stole two cars in the weeks leading up to the shootings while he was living in transitional housing provided through the TAILS program at Wonderwood Ranch in Prunedale. A ranch director testified that grant funds were used to pay for Evans’ apartment, which allowed him access to a remote property where investigators say he stored stolen cars, possessed firearms and test-fired weapons.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, investigators believe the stolen cars were used in both shootings. On Feb. 4, after receiving communication from Nava, a group that included Evans and Cervantes drove out searching for rival gang members but instead mistakenly killed Canchola and Garcia on Los Coches Road, firing more than 40 rounds.
A month later, on March 3, communication from Nava allegedly preceded the ambush at the King City party, where gunmen using a fully automatic weapon killed Francisco Aldape Perez, Olivo Pina Perez, Mario Guzman and Alicia Ramirez Aparicio, and inflicted serious injuries on seven others.
All three defendants will be arraigned on Dec. 4 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 5 of the Monterey Superior Court.
“The investigation into these crimes remains ongoing,” the District Attorney’s Office said. “Anyone with information is encouraged to reach out to law enforcement.”
