Man ID’d and arrested for running over teens

The man who’s accused of hitting two teens with his car after being pranked near a Salinas gas station now behind bars.

It was a prank gone wrong that could have been so much worse than how it played out Saturday night. Last night at around six, Salinas Police arrested 22-year old Miguel Mota on two counts of attempted murder. His arrest comes after an incident on Saturday night when two 15-year old boys were riding their bikes by the Arco gas station on East Alisal and Grffin Street. The teens threw water from a bottle at Mota who was filling up his Nissan Ultima and fled. Mota then chased down the kids and pinned them against a fence with his car, then left the scene.

“It was too much is what it really boils down to. I mean, it was way over the top to chase…for getting hit with water, again we could have dealt with the juveniles had we been notified about it. But taking the matter into his own hands and basically running them over with a car is just too far overboard,” said Salinas Police Commander, Mike Groves.

Salinas Police say they were able to find mota after receiving a anonymous tip. He was found at a house in East Salinas, had shaved his beard, and hid his car in a friend’s garage. He was arrested without incident and admitted his involvement in the case.

Both 15-year old boys who had been pinned were released from the hospital with only cuts and bruises. Police believe Mota could be arraigned as early as Tuesday.