A Yolo County jury found a northern Sacramento man guilty of gang-related violence earlier this month.
The District Attorney’s office announced that gang member Michael Rene Romero, 21, was convicted of multiple felony charges on Oct. 13. These include attempted murder with premeditation, gang related activity and infliction of great bodily harm.
In the early morning hours of Jan. 21, 2009, Romero and another alleged gang member, Antonio Delgado, attacked a 47-year-old victim. According to a witness on the scene, the victim was being beaten on the ground. The witness, who was driving a truck at the time, turned his vehicle around to stop the attack. The two men ran away and left the beaten man comatose on the ground.
As Romero left, another witness saw him remove the victim’s tooth lodged in his fist, the press release said. The beating left the victim with permanent physical injuries and mental disabilities.
Delgado was arrested in West Sacramento about 10 days after the attack. Earlier this year, he was convicted of attempted murder and other felony charges. Romero was arrested in Sacramento County in February. Brutal gang attacks, such as this, are done to propagate fear and enhance the violent reputations of gangs, testified Officer Michael Duggins of the West Sacramento police department during Romero’s trial.
“It is brutal gang cases such as this that vividly demonstrate the terror that criminal street gangs bring to our communities. Thankfully, a brave citizen stopped to intervene before the victim was killed,” said District Attorney Jeff Reisig in a press release.
The Yolo County District Attorney’s office is working together with county police departments and the Yolo County Sheriff’s Department to prevent further gang-related incidences. These departments create the Yolo County Gang Task Force to respond quickly to gang violence.
“Criminal activity by street gangs is not bound by municipal borders. By sharing intelligence and personnel, the gang task force is able to effectively identify these organized criminal elements and their members and to respond quickly when they engage in criminal activity,” according to the task force website.
The Yolo county DA’s office is working with agencies in smaller cities such as Davis and Winters to keep an eye on the increasing visibility of gangs, particularly youth gangs.
“It is also a goal of the Yolo County Gang Task Force to collaborate with local agencies in order to provide support services to school districts in the area of education, intervention and prevention,” the website reads. “The ultimate goal of the Yolo County Gang Task Force is to provide a comprehensive team of specialists to serve the needs of our communities in combating the rise of gang violence.”
Romero is currently awaiting sentencing on Nov. 10. He is expected to receive a life sentence in prison for his gang activities.
SARAHNI PECSON can be reached at city@theaggie.org.
