North Bay Man Sentenced to 12 Years for East Bay Shooting

Two alleged gang members accused of shooting and injuring a man in Concord last year appeared in front of a judge in Martinez on Tuesday to accept plea deals.

Judge Terri Mockler presided as Gustavo Mendez, 20, and Rafael Zaragoza, 19, entered no contest pleas for charges related to a Jan. 10, 2014 shooting at a Wendy’s restaurant at 1551 Monument Blvd.

As part of the plea deal, Zaragoza, a Concord man who was 17 years old during the incident but was tried as an adult, received 24 years in state prison.

He pleaded no contest to attempted murder with firearm and gang enhancements, according to court records. Zaragoza had a prior felony robbery conviction.

He absconded from a rehabilitation facility in 2013 and was not found until his arrest on Jan. 17, 2014 for the attempted murder, according to court records.

His co-defendant, Mendez, received a 12-year sentence for attempted murder with just the firearm enhancement, prosecutors said.

Mendez, a Fairfield resident, was said to be the one that pulled out a gun and shot the victim as he was leaving the Wendy’s, according to police.

Court records indicate that both defendants were initially suspected to have involvement with Oakland’s South Side Locos gang.

When Zaragoza was arrested, police found guns as well as illegal drugs packaged for sale in his possession, according to court records.

Charges related to gun and drug possession were dropped.

--Bay City News Service, photo via Shutterstock