Sureño Gang Members Plead No Contest to Attempted Murder

District Attorney Jill Ravitch has announced that Salvador Flores, Jr., 19 years-old of Santa Rosa, and Gustavo Alex Castillo, 25 years-old of Santa Rosa, each entered no contest pleas to charges of gang-related attempted murder. Each defendant also admitted to personally using a firearm during the crime. Flores and Castillo are active participants in the Puro Sureño Cholo (PSC) subset of the Sureño criminal street gang.

The charges stem from an August 28, 2016 retaliatory shooting, committed against the victim due to his cooperation with law enforcement efforts to investigate a prior gang-related stabbing. The prior stabbing investigation ultimately resulted in a PSC Sureño gang member being sentenced to State Prison. Shortly after that gang member was sentenced, Flores, Castillo and a third Sureno gang participant happened upon the victim as he sat in a parked vehicle. Flores and Castillo got out of their vehicle, walked over to the victim’s vehicle, and from just a few feet away shot 5 rounds from a .357 revolver into the windshield of the victim’s car. The victim was struck twice, but did not suffer life-threatening injuries. Flores and Castillo ran back to their vehicle and were able to drive a short distance before Santa Rosa police officers stopped and detained them. Castillo has previously been convicted of gang crimes and was on parole from state prison at the time the shooting occurred.

Both defendants will be sentenced by the Honorable Dana Simonds on May 8, 2018. Flores will receive a term of 15 years to Life for the first degree gang-related attempted murder conviction, with an additional 3 years for personally using a firearm during the crime. Castillo will be sentenced to a term of 21 years and 4 months for attempted murder, personal use of a firearm, shooting into an occupied motor vehicle and being an active participant in a criminal street gang.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Mark Urioste, assisted by District Attorney Investigator Denise Urton. Detective Barrett Klein of the Santa Rosa Police Department headed the investigation.