(Emergency officials load a man into an ambulance Friday after he was shot multiple times on Riverside Drive. Photo by Tarmo Hannula/Pajaronian)
WATSONVILLE — The man shot Friday morning on Riverside Drive following a disagreement in family court in Watsonville has been identified as Miguel Castaneda, a Santa Cruz resident.
Castaneda was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. He was booked into Santa Cruz County Jail in lieu of $750,000 bail.
According to Santa Cruz County Superior Court executive officer Alex Calvo, the two men were involved in a family law case, and had a disagreement somewhere in the courthouse.
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies assigned to guard the courts separated the men. They then sent one of them out and held the other one back, Calvo said.
Everyone who enters the courthouse in Santa Cruz and Watsonville must pass through a metal detector and be screened for weapons, Calvo said.
“Emotions run high in court, especially in family law,” he said. “Our security staff does a great job for us, and from everything we can tell they did their job appropriately.”
According to a witness, the drivers of a white Toyota pickup truck and a black BMW sedan were driving west on Riverside Drive shortly after 11:30 a.m.
The driver of the pickup reportedly swerved in front of the sedan, and both vehicles pulled over just past Industrial Road.
Both drivers got out of their vehicles, and the pickup driver approached the driver of the sedan and shot him several times, said Dirk Andrews, who witnessed the incident.
“I was in shock,” he said. “You don’t see people shooting each other every day.”
The suspect remained at the scene, and was arrested without incident by a Watsonville Police officer who arrived.
The victim, who was shot multiple times, including in the head, was flown by CALSTAR air ambulance to an out-of-county trauma center. He was listed in critical condition.
Police found the gun used in the shooting, and interviewed several witnesses.
“Everything is on the scene,” said Watsonville Police Sgt. Mike Ridgway. “It’s a complete picture.”
Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Cleveland said incident did not appear to be gang-related.
Cleveland said that everyone involved in the incident has been detained.
“Right now, there is no threat to the community,” he said.
