Watsonville man facing manslaughter charges after fight at fast food restaurant

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION) A Watsonville man is facing manslaughter charges stemming from a fight at a fast food restaurant that led to a man's death.

Officers responded to the restaurant in the 100 block of Main Street on Dec. 2 for a report of a fight, and when they got there, they said they found the victim, a 43-year-old man, unconscious on the ground with a severe head injury.

He was taken to a trauma center, where he was in the ICU for several days before being moved to Stanford Hospitals. Doctors there declared him brain dead on Dec. 9.

An autopsy showed that the victim died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to police.

Investigators looked at surveillance video of the scene and said they saw the suspect, 30-year-old Jose Figueroa Gonzalez, throw one punch, causing the victim to collapse. Evidence at the scene also helped detectives identify Figueroa as the suspect.

Figueroa was arrested on the day the victim was declared brain dead as he was leaving he his home. He was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail, but was released when he posted $50,000 bail.

Figueroa is facing voluntary manslaughter and other assault-related charges. Investigators believe this was a random act of violence.