Salinas gang member sentenced to 110 years to life for attempted murder
A Monterey County judge sentenced a Salinas man to 110 years to life in prison for attempted murder and other gang and drug charges.
The incident happened in April 2016. Three people were playing cards in an apartment carport on North Main Street in Salinas. At around 9:07 p.m., 22-year-old Michael Ray Serrano and two others went to the entrance of the carport, pulled out semi-automatic guns and opened fire.
Investigators said at least 23 rounds were fired, and one victim was hit in the leg twice. Text messages found on Serrano’s phone showed that he and the other two were looking for Norteno gang members to kill before shooting the victims. Serrano is a member of the Sureno gang, but the victims were not affiliated with any street gangs.
A jury found Serrano guilty of eight felony charges in February 2019 that include three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm and one count of shooting at an occupied building. The jury found that Serrano personally discharged a gun causing great bodily injury and that the crimes were done for the benefit of, at the direction of and in association with the Sureno gang.
