Santa Cruz DA: “We are relieved he is off the streets”

A Watsonville gang member will spend 29 years and 4 months behind bars for a string of violent crimes.

According to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office, Pedro Zuniga-Garcia broke down in tears during his sentencing Friday.

“This sentence brings closure to a string of crimes that endangered our community and highlights this office’s commitment to public safety,” District Attorney Jeff Rosell said.

Zuniga-Garcia was convicted of nine charges in June 2015. The charges stem from several violent crimes. In March 2008, Zuniga-Garcia and two other gang members brutally beat someone up with a 2×4 piece of wood during a party. The three then assaulted another partygoer.

In April 2008, while Zuniga-Garcia was in custody, he got into a fight with jail staff after they discovered gang messages hidden in his cell.

In February 2009, while he was out on bail, Zuniga-Garcia stabbed a rival gang member. He then fled to Mexico and was re-arrested by Watsonville Police in 2014.