An arrest has been made after a six-week investigation into the murder of a 34-year-old Watsonville man behind the Chipotle Restaurant on the 1300 block of Main Street.
Watsonville Police said the 16-year-old suspect was taken into custody Saturday night in connection with the Oct. 29 shooting on a trail in a wooded area beside Ramsay Park.
The suspect was booked into Juvenile Hall for murder, gang enhancement, assault with a firearm, false imprisonment, minor in possession of a firearm and resisting arrest.
Detectives served several search warrants at multiple locations throughout Watsonville and Santa Cruz County as part of the investigation.
The victim was shot and killed near a suite of restaurants and businesses that includes Chipotle and Habit Burger near the corner of Main Street and Auto Center Drive.
Police got a call about 8:30pm of shots fired and a person down on a trail between the business center and Ramsay Park.
Watsonville Police were on the scene within minutes and cordoned off a portion of the center with yellow crime scene tape. They were assisted by Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s deputies and used a drone and a canine officer to search for suspects.
During the investigation, officers learned of two separate incidents nearby involving an assault and threats with a firearm, Watsonville Police said. A 16-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene for those incidents and booked into Juvenile Hall. Police do not know if the cases are connected to the fatal shooting.
No names have been released.
The incidents are still under investigation.
Anyone with information about the incidents is asked to call Detective Collin Travers, at 831.768.3321.
this is why PVUSD must not fire counselors or the SRO at each high school. the fact that the suspect is 16 should tell us that violence is a fact among too many teens in Watsonville. early intervention is the key.