Woodland gang members guilty of attempted murder

Three Woodland men, all confirmed gang members, were convicted Tuesday of attempted murder by a Yolo Superior Court jury, District Attorney Jeff Reisig reports.

Rolando Arismendez, 34; Juan Reyes, 21; and German Vizcarra, 19; were found guilty of being involved in a shooting on Donnelly Circle in Woodland on Nov. 16, 2011.

According to the DA’s office, Arismendez provided guns, a car and a driver to Reyes and Quezada, who intended to kill a resident of Donnelly Circle. After driving by to scout the location, the gang members returned to the site a second time and began firing on the victim, who was standing in front of the residence.

Although the bullets missed the victim, one of the bullets entered the bedroom of the home and passed through a child’s playpen before lodging in a mattress.

While fleeing the location, the defendants crashed their car in a nearby park and left the scene on foot. Woodland police recovered two of the three handguns used and arrested Reyes running from the scene of the crash, Reisig’s news release said. They arrested Vizcarra at a Woodland hospital when he arrived for treatment of gunshot wounds that apparently were self-inflicted during the shooting.

The defendants’ cell phones and other evidence established that Arizmendez had supplied the guns and the car used to commit the crime, the news release said.

The jury deliberated for two days before returning the guilty verdicts on charges that included conspiracy to commit attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling and gang charges and enhancements. The defendants will be sentenced Nov. 30 by Judge Stephen Mock. They face life in prison.

Reisig applauded the jury and reiterated the dangers of gang violence: “Gang members shooting at residences threaten the fundamental right of citizens to feel safe in their homes,” he said. “Gangs showing this level of commitment to violence must be countered by both law enforcement and community-based efforts.”

The district attorney credited the investigative efforts of the Woodland Police Department and Yolo County Gang Task Force.