Salinas gang member sentenced to prison for attempted murder, gang charges

A Monterey County judge sentenced a Salinas gang member to 110 years to life in prison for attempted murder, gang and gun charges.

On Feb. 7, a jury found 29-year-old Juan Carlos Valenzuela Ceja and his accomplice, Michael Ray Serrano, guilty of eight felony charges that include three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a semi-automatic gun and one count of shooting at an occupied building. They jury also found that Ceja fired the gun causing great bodily injury and that the crimes were done on behalf of the Sureo street gang.

The incident happened on April 18, 2016. Three people were playing cards in the carport of their apartment on North Main Street. Just after 9 p.m., Ceja, Serrano and a third person went to the entrance of the carport, pulled out a semi-automatic gun and opened fire. Investigators said at least 23 rounds were fired, hitting one of the victims twice in the leg. They said text messages on Serrano’s phone showed that the three of them were looking for Norteo gang members to kill, but the victims were not affiliated with any street gang.

Serrano was also sentenced to 10 years to life in prison in August.