| For Immediate Release August 11, 2006 |
Contact: | Susan Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel (714) 347-8408 Office (714) 323-4486 Cell |
GANG MEMBER WANTED FOR 2002 ORANGE COUNTY MURDER ARRESTED IN TEXAS
*He was listed on the Orange County District Attorney’s Ten Most Wanted List
SANTA ANA – A Santa Ana man wanted for murder was captured today in Gainesville, Texas after evading the law for almost four years. Angel Guzman Vergara, 25, of Santa Ana, is charged with murder, kidnapping to commit murder, robbery in the 1st degree in an inhabited dwelling, and street terrorism. He is facing enhancements of committing a crime for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang, as well as personally using a firearm during the commission of a crime. He will be extradited from Texas for prosecution and is scheduled to be arraigned early next week. If convicted, he faces life without parole. In October 2005, Vergara was listed on the Orange County District Attorney’s (OCDA) Ten Most Wanted list.
On December 9, 2002, Vergara is accused of going with co-defendant, Jose Velasquez, 26, of Santa Ana, to the house of a drug dealer, Ricky Vasquez. Vergara and Velasquez are accused of having firearms, and forcing two females and Vasquez to remain quiet as they stole property by loading it into garbage bags. One female attempted to escape, and Vergara is accused of using a firearm to force her back into the bedroom. Vasquez was later murdered after Velasquez shot him in the head while he was pleading for his life. Vergara fled the state and was placed on the OCDA Ten Most Wanted list as a fugitive until he was arrested in Texas today. Velasquez was arrested in 2002 during a traffic stop, and was sentenced to life without parole on July 30, 2004.
Deputy District Attorney Allison Gyves of the Gang Unit is prosecuting this case.
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