WATSONVILLE — A man suspected in a January shooting was arrested at his home in Moss Landing Thursday morning.
Luis Monroy Perez, 55, was arrested after a brief struggle at about 7:50 a.m.
According to Watsonville Police Sgt. Juan Trujillo, the incident took place on Jan. 10, when officers responded to a shooting on the 100 block of East Fifth Street at about 6:09 p.m.
Through victim and witness statements, officers learned that the victim was called over to a vehicle which had stopped in the roadway. The vehicle was occupied by two suspects, one of whom was identified as Perez.
As the victim approached the vehicle, Perez stepped out of it and attacked the victim with a baseball bat, according to Trujillo. The victim ran for cover, and as he did, one of the two suspects fired several gunshots at the victim.
The victim was not injured.
WPD’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) followed up on the case and obtained an arrest warrant for Perez as well as a search warrant for his residences. On Thursday morning, officers, assisted by the Santa Cruz Auto Theft Reduction Enforcement Team and WPD detectives, spotted Perez driving away from his home in Moss Landing.
When approached by officers, Perez, armed with a handgun, reportedly resisted arrest and was taken into custody with the use of Tasers.
Perez was medically cleared and transported to the Santa Cruz County Jail where he was booked on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed firearm in public and resisting arrest.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the WPD Investigation Division at 768-3350 or the Crime Tip Line at 768-3544.
