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WHITTIER -- A judge Wednesday ordered three alleged gang members to stand trial for the drive-by shooting death of a 17-year-old Pico Rivera boy last year.
After listening to a summary of the evidence Tuesday and Wednesday in the Nov. 1, 2010 slaying of Robert Velazquez, Whittier Superior Court Commissioner Loren DiFrank ordered a trial for Enrique Medina, 32, of Pomona, his step-brother Michael Barrios, 29, of Pomona and Thomas Arellanes, 27, of El Monte. They are alleged members of the Pico Rivera street gang known as Brown Authority.
Velazquez had no gang ties, authorities said, and was likely targeted because he was in an area claimed as turf by the Pico Viejo street gang, which Brown Authority considers a rival, officials said.
The defendants are each charged with Velazquez's murder, along with the attempted murder of his then-17-year-old friend Ruth Rodriguez, who was present during the attack but not injured. All three are additionally accused of committing the crime in connection with a criminal street gang, and Medina is accused of personally firing the gun that killed Velazquez.
Robert Velazquez's father, Jose Velazquez, said he was confident in the case presented by Deputy District Attorney Brock Lunsford.
"It's going great," he said of the proceedings. "I'm happy that it's going to (trial). I want to see justice. That's all I want."
During the hearing Wednesday, Rodriguez gave emotional testimony about the shooting.
She and Robert Velazquez were talking near her home when an SUV approached and, "pulled right in front of us," Rodriguez said.
"It stopped, and they started shooting at us," she testified.
The assailants first shot out the street's lone street light before unleashing a volley of bullets toward Robert Velazquez and Rodriguez, according to testimony.
Once the shooting came to an end and the SUV drove off, Rodriguez said she realized her friend had been wounded.
"I was yelling his name and he was just making weird noises," she said as she dabbed her eyes with tissues.
"He was my best friend," she added. Officials have previously incorrectly described Rodriguez and Robert Velazquez as boyfriend and girlfriend
Medina's attorney, Anthony Arzili, questioned Rodriguez regarding how well she could see what was happening on the very dark street.
Arzili also pointed questioned Rodriguez about differences in what she told investigators immediately after the incident, and what she recalled Wednesday in court.
Barrios was being represented by attorney Michael Shapiro, and Arellanes was being represented by attorney John McDonald.
The prosecution called several police and crime scene investigators to testify about physical evidence linking Medina, Barrios and Arellanes to the slaying.
Nine spent .45-caliber bullet casing were found at the scene of the shooting in the 11000 block of Zola Avenue in Pico Rivera, sheriff's forensic firearms examiner David Kim testified.
A 10th round was found in on the floor of Barrios' Chevrolet Blazer when it was stopped by police at a Pomona has station the day after Velazquez's death, Detective Ken Perry of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said. The nine fired bullet casings found at the scene, along with the unfired round found in the SUV, had all come from the same gun, Kim testified.
Though Barrios was arrested with his SUV, attorneys for Medina and Arellanes revealed through cross examination that their clients were not in the SUV when it was stopped Nov. 2, 2010.
Sheriff's senior criminalist Kristina Fritz took the stand to report she had found gunshot residue on Barrios' hands, inside the SUV, on a a sweat shirt taken from Medina at the time of his arrest, and on other items of clothing, including bandanas and a ski cap recovered from the Pomona home Medina and Barrios shared.
DNA evidence also connected the clothing items to the suspects, sheriff's senior criminalist Leslie Thompson testified.
The defense attorneys attacked the validity of gunshot residue testing in general, pointing out through cross examination that gunshot residue can easily be transferred between people and that other forms of residue can be confused with gunshot residue.
Detectives seized the cell phones of the three suspects upon their arrest, Detective Wayne Holston of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said.
Investigators found the three men had exchanged text messages and calls in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, 2010.
One message Barrios sent to his co-defendants told them to "get out," Holston said.
Medina, Barrios and Arellanes were ordered to appear in Norwalk Superior Court Dec. 28 for an arraignment.

WHITTIER -- The murder case against three men accused of shooting a 17-year-old Pico Rivera boy to death last year moved forward Tuesday as testimony was heard in their preliminary hearing.
Alleged Brown Authority gang members Enrique Medina, 32, Michael Barrios, 29, and Thomas Arrellanes, 27, are charged with the Nov. 1, 2010 slaying of 17-year-old Robert Velazquez of Pico Rivera, as well as the attempted murder of his girlfriend.
The teen was sitting on a brick wall with his girlfriend when the alleged killers mistook him for a rival gang member and opened fire on the couple without warning in the 4000 block of Zola Avenue, according to Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Brock Lunsford.
Velazquez had no gang ties, and was likely targeted because he and his girlfriend were in an area claimed by the Pico Viejo street gang, according to investigators. The girl wasn't injured.
Though the process is difficult, "I want justice to be served," the father said. "I want them to receive the maximum sentence."
At Tuesday's hearing, several witnesses were called to testify about being approached and questioned about gang ties in the hours prior to the fatal shooting by an armed suspect.
Jacques Bustamante testified he and a friend were walking through an apartment complex after 10 p.m. on the day of the killing when he was approached by a gunman which he pointed out as Medina.
"(Medina) approached me from behind and pretty much was flashing a gun and asking where were were from," -- a common gang challenge, he said.
Bustamante said he replied that he was not in a gang, and Medina patted his pockets, saying he was looking for drugs.
After walking away, Medina confronted Bustamante a second time, according the the testimony, accusing Bustamante of lying about being in a gang.
"He said something about you owe money to the neighborhood," Bustamante testified. "I was confused."
Bustamante had identified Medina as the gunman from a photo lineup in the early stages of the investigation, Lunsford said.
When asked by Medina's defense attorney, Anthony Arzili, in court if Medina was the man who approached him, Bustamante replied, "I think that's him."
Arzili asked Bustamante about details he recalled from the encounter, and questioned whether Bustamante got a clear look at the gunman's face. He also pointed out that investigators did not perform the photo lineup with Bustamante until four days after the incident.
Another witness, Eric Caldera, testified about being approached and challenged by a gang member at a home on Dork Street between 8 or 9 p.m. on the night of Velazquez's slaying.
The man approached Caldera and his friends asking if they belonged to the Pico Viejo street gang.
After responding that they were not involved with gangs, "He kind of started patting me down," Caldera said. The man also lifted Caldera's shirt sleeves and demanded to inspect his tattoos.
The man approached a friend of Caldera's and shouted "(expletive Viejo) before getting into an SUV and driving off," according to the testimony.
Upon cross examination from Arrellanes' attorney, John McDonald, Caldera said he did not see the person who approached him in the courtroom.
Though Lunsford indicated that Medina's hair had grown longer since the incident, Caldera maintained that "(Medina) was not the person that approached me."
Defense attorneys also pointed out that Caldera wasn't interviewed by police about the incident until January, two months after it occurred.
Daniel Perez, who testified while in handcuffs as he is currently in custody on suspicion of violating probation, testified that that Medina, Barrios and Arrellanes showed up at his home the evening before the killing.
Perez said he himself had been a Pico Nuevo gang member for two years, but was no longer involved with the gang.
Perez said he spent a brief time with the men before Barrios made a phone call from another room. Following the phone call, Barrios told Medina, "Let's roll," and the two men exchanged a high five before leaving. The men seemed to be in a good mood.
In the days after the killing, Barrios and two other men arrived unannounced in Perez's backyard in an apparent attempt to keep him from cooperating with authorities.
Barrios appeared agitated and wanted to fight, telling Perez "Don't go to court," Perez testified.
Defense attorney's asked Perez about his marijuana use at the time of the killing, and whether is had affected his memory.
Defense attorney Michael Shapiro questioned Perez's credibility, asking him at one point, "Are you making that story up?"
Jose Velazquez said the manner in which his son was killed was "very cruel."
"There was nothing he could do to defend himself or stand a chance," he said.
In addition to being in a gang neighborhood, Jose Velazquez said he believed the style of clothes his son was wearing, such as baggy pants, may have caused the alleged killers to target him.
The father recalled first getting a call about the shooting as he was at work on Nov. 1.
"I arrived and saw the scene all roped off," he said. "It was the worst feeling in the world knowing that my son was there."
Robert Velazquez was a junior at El Rancho High School when he was killed, his father said. He enjoyed oldies music and hip hop.
Sometimes shy around strangers, he was outgoing and friendly to those he knew, he added.
"That kids could fit in anywhere. Robert had a lot of friends. He didn't judge you. He was easy to get along with."
In addition to murder, the defendants are each further accused of committing the crime for the benefit of a street gang, officials said. Medina is accused of personally firing the .45-caliber handgun that killed Robert Velazquez.
Testimony was expected to continue Wednesday in Whittier Superior Court.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the presiding judge, Loren Di Frank, will render a ruling as to whether sufficient evidence exists to order the defendants to stand trial.

COURTESY photo of Robert Velazquez

PICO RIVERA -- Deputies arrested seven people early Wednesday during a sweep targeting a violent street gang believed to be responsible for three shooting this month, authorities said.
In response to the violence, which has left two men wounded and one man dead, gang investigators headed out in force to do probation compliance checks on known gang members, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Mark Bailey said.
"The reason for this operation was because we've had several shootings in the month of October involving the Pico Viejo gang," he said.
Five men and two women were arrested in the operation, in which deputies visited six homes within the city of Pico Rivera, officials said.
Charges ranged from being under the influence of drugs and possession of graffiti tools to assault with a deadly weapon, officials said.
One of the suspects nabbed in Wednesday's sweep, 21-year-old Adam Avalos of El Monte, is suspected in an Oct. 5 shooting at a Pico Rivera Wal-Mart store in which a member of the rival street gang Pico Nuevo was wounded while loading groceries into his car, Bailey said. A second teenage suspect had been identified and is also being sought in connection with the shooting.
Also arrested were: Sandra Robledo, 50, on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs and violating probation; her son, Manuel Robledo, 24, on suspicion of possession of marijuana; Oscar Oporto, 39, due to an outstanding narcotics warrant; Desiree Garcia, 30, on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs; Cresencio Garcia, 50, on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs; and Steven Alvarado, 18, on suspicion of possessing graffiti and vandalism tools, officials said.
Four of the suspects were arrested at the Lancer Motel, 4335 Rosemead Blvd., Bailey said.
Juan Z. Gutierrez, 33, of Whittier was shot to death as he rode his bicycle early Tuesday near Harrell Street and Layman Avenue, according to coroner's officials.
He was believed to be a gang member, and the shooting was believed to be gang related, investigators said.
No arrests have been made Thursday, and Sgt. Barry Hall of the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau said detectives were left with very few clues to follow in the case.
In another gang-related attack attributed to the Pico Viejo gang, a member of the rival Pico Nuevo gang was shot and wounded Oct. 2 at a gas station at Beverly and Rosemead boulevards, authorities said. The suspect or suspects remained at large.
While there is much work yet to be done to combat Pico Viejo and other criminal street gangs in the city, "We definitely made some good gains."

PICO RIVERA -- Officials have arrested and charged a Whittier woman in connection with the near-fatal shooting of a 36-year-old Pico Rivera woman who was shot in the head as she slept in her apartment in May.
Michelle Caldera, 32, of Whittier was arrested late Tuesday at a motel, according to officials and sheriff's booking records.
Along with two other men already jailed in connection with the shooting, "She's charged with the attempted murder as well," Deputy District Attorney Brock Lunsford said.
She pleaded not guilty Thursday in Whittier Superior Court in the May 19 shooting of Gloria Montes at her home in the 5300 block of Lindsey Avenue, investigators said. The badly wounded woman has remained hospitalized on a ventilator since the shooting.
She was taken into custody Tuesday at a motel, Lunsford said, however further details of the arrest were not available.
Caldera was the alleged getaway driver in the shooting, Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Mark Bailey said. He has previously referred to the former fugitive as "the last piece of the puzzle."
Co-defendants Jose Trejo, 21, of Pico Rivera and Arthur Lerma, 33, of Whittier, were already in custody and charged with the attempted murder. Lerma is accusing of being the gunman.
All three suspects are accused of carrying out the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang.
Lerma and Trejo are believed to be members of a Pico Rivera gang, Bailey said, while Caldera was believed to be a members of a Whittier gang and associate of the Pico Rivera gang.
The suspects shot Montes because Lerma believed she had cooperated with law enforcement officials in a robbery case which sent him to prison for eight years, Bailey said.
Though Caldera was interviewed by detectives in the investigation, she did not testify against him, officials said.
According to sheriff's booking records, Caldera was due back in Whittier Superior Court for a hearing Aug. 30, Lerma was due back in court Sept. 20 and Trejo was due back Sept. 22.
Later in the process, the three defendants will have their cases consolidated into one, Lunsford said.
Caldera and Trejo and Lerma were each being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to booking records, while Lerma was being held without bail.

NORWALK -- Authorities have released the name of a 31-year-old man who was fatally shot in an alley behind his home over the weekend.
Rogelio Sanchez was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after Sunday's 1:02 p.m. shooting in the 11900 block of Pioneer Blvd., Los Angeles County sheriff's Department of Coroner's Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
Few details were initially released regarding the shooting.
"Detectives have learned that the victim was a resident at the location," sheriff's officials said in a written statement. "He was found shot in the alley, at the rear of his residence."
The shooting was believed to be gang-related, officials added. No information about the shooter was available.
Anyone with information was asked to call the Sheriff's Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500.

BALDWIN PARK - A multi-agency task force arrested 11 people Friday during an operation targeted at fighting gang activity.
Thirty-two personnel from the Baldwin Park, San Gabriel, Irwindale and Baldwin Park School police departments took part in the gang enforcement detail, along with officials from the California Highway Patrol, California Department of Corrections and the Los Angeles County Probation Department, authorities said.
"The purpose of this deployment was to reduce gang activity by identifying gang members, gaining intelligence in regards to gang activity, reducing gang-related crime and maintaining high visibility in the city," Baldwin Park police Lt. David Reynoso said in a written statement.
The task force also assisted regular patrol officers with with regular patrols, officials said. One parole compliance check and two probation compliance checks were also carried out by the task force Friday.
Those arrested were:
Jesus Reyes, 24, of West Covina, on suspicion of drug possession; Linda Milleman, 20, of Covina, on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, Alberto Hernandez, 22, of Baldwin Park, on suspicion of driving under the influence; Jose Ramos, 19, of Baldwin Park on suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia; Miguel Ruiz, 29, of Baldwin Park on suspicion of DUI; and Christopher Kukta, 31, of La Verne on suspicion of drug possession, police said.
Michael Arce, 43, of Baldwin Park; Mario Hernandez, 41, of Baldwin Park; Ulises Gutierrez, 18, of Baldwin Park, Daniel Covarrubias, 21, of Baldwin Park; and Christian Pompa, 23, of La Puente were jailed during the operation due to outstanding arrest warrants, Reynoso said.