FREMONT — Five people have been charged in the July 20 shooting death of a teen, including one man who allegedly gave the suspected driver a ride out of the country.
Jonathan Carillotes, 23, Samuel Solares, 26, and Uriel Tafolla, whose age is not listed in court records, have been charged with murdering 19-year-old Eleazar Moreno Cruz. Two others, Christopher Garcia-Santos, 22, and Jorge Pedraza, 25, were charged with accessory, records show.
Neither Carillotes nor Tafolla have been arrested, and Carillotes may have one of his co-defendants to thank for it. Police say cellphone tracking data demonstrated that Pedraza gave Carillotes a ride to the Mexico border to escape police.
Authorities say the group is from East Palo Alto, but stashed the involved vehicle in Tracy after the homicide. Garcia-Santos is charged for allegedly selling the car, which he owned, in an attempt to “destroy or conceal evidence.”
Moreno Cruz was shot and killed July 20, on the 3000 block of Nichols Avenue. According to police, not only was he the intended target, but Carillotes, Solares, and Tafolla waited in the area for two hours until Moreno Cruz appeared, at which point Solares and Tafolla allegedly exited their car and shot him.
Police say the incident was captured on surveillance camera footage, and that license plate readers and cellphone data helped identify the three suspects and the roles they allegedly played.
Solares is being held without bail, and bail for the two accessory suspects has been set at $100,000, records show.