For release on May 6, 2015 CONTACT:
Stephen Poolos, Deputy District Attorney
Gangs Unit
(408) 808-3797 HAYWARD MAN CONVICTED OF STRIP MALL SHOOTING A Hayward man was convicted this week for shooting a man to death in 2013 after two rival gangs ran into each other in a busy San Jose strip mall. Andrew Daniel Rodriguez, a 22-year-old associate of a Norteno criminal street gang, was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Pedro Meza Hernandez, a 20-year-old San Jose Sureno gang member. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced by the Hon. JoAnne McCracken on June 26. He faces life in prison. "We are pleased that a hard-working and thoughtful jury held this dangerous defendant accountable for his brash and inexcusable violence upon another human being,” prosecutor Stephen Poolos said. “The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the San Jose Police Department for its thorough and professional investigation." On November 15, 2013, around 7:30 p.m., two rival groups first ran into each other in a clothing store in a mall on the 1600 block of San Carlos Avenue. The gang members exchanged menacing looks, according to witnesses. Then, they exited the store to realize they were parked next to each other. The victim pulled out his GMC Silverado truck and using his front fender, pushed the suspect’s Toyota Camry from behind. After the collision, the suspect got out the car, pulling a .44 Magnum from a hidden compartment in the vehicle. He then shot Hernandez in the head and chest. Police found the weapon abandoned behind the parking lot. It had been reported stolen to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department 30 years ago. The San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit identified the suspect. He was arrested two months later in Humboldt County.
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Stephen Poolos, Deputy District Attorney
Gangs Unit
(408) 808-3797 HAYWARD MAN CONVICTED OF STRIP MALL SHOOTING A Hayward man was convicted this week for shooting a man to death in 2013 after two rival gangs ran into each other in a busy San Jose strip mall. Andrew Daniel Rodriguez, a 22-year-old associate of a Norteno criminal street gang, was found guilty of the second-degree murder of Pedro Meza Hernandez, a 20-year-old San Jose Sureno gang member. Rodriguez is scheduled to be sentenced by the Hon. JoAnne McCracken on June 26. He faces life in prison. "We are pleased that a hard-working and thoughtful jury held this dangerous defendant accountable for his brash and inexcusable violence upon another human being,” prosecutor Stephen Poolos said. “The District Attorney’s Office would like to thank the San Jose Police Department for its thorough and professional investigation." On November 15, 2013, around 7:30 p.m., two rival groups first ran into each other in a clothing store in a mall on the 1600 block of San Carlos Avenue. The gang members exchanged menacing looks, according to witnesses. Then, they exited the store to realize they were parked next to each other. The victim pulled out his GMC Silverado truck and using his front fender, pushed the suspect’s Toyota Camry from behind. After the collision, the suspect got out the car, pulling a .44 Magnum from a hidden compartment in the vehicle. He then shot Hernandez in the head and chest. Police found the weapon abandoned behind the parking lot. It had been reported stolen to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department 30 years ago. The San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit identified the suspect. He was arrested two months later in Humboldt County.
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