Man sentenced for trying to murder rival gang member in Salinas

SALINAS, Calif. (KION) The Monterey County District Attorney's office said a gang member, Jose Daniel Perez, has been sentenced to ten years in prison for trying to murder a rival gang member.

The incident happened at about 1 p.m. in January 2020 when Perez and some other people drove to a residential area near Cortez and Mae Avenue.

Investigators said one of the passengers stuck a gun out of the window and began shooting at the victim, who was standing outside his house. The victim then got a gun and started shooting back at Perez's vehicle.

The victim was not injured, but a witness said they heard 10 or 11 gunshots.

A few days after the shooting, police found bullet holes in the back of Perez's vehicle, which backed up what the victim told officers. They also found surveillance video from a nearby home showing Perez's vehicle coming to a "slow roll" at Cortez and Mae around the time the shooting started.

When Perez spoke to police and others, they said he implicated himself in the shooting. He later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and admitted an enhancement for gun use.