A Gilroy teen has posted bail less than 24 hours after he was
arrested on suspicion of shooting a Watsonville man in a
gang-related incident last month, according to police.
A Gilroy teen has posted bail less than 24 hours after he was arrested on suspicion of shooting a Watsonville man in a gang-related incident last month, according to police.
Local and federal law enforcement agents arrested Mark Callen, 19, at his home here Tuesday morning as part of a warrant blitz against suspected gang members who police claim took part in the non-fatal shooting last month. Dozens of officers also searched the homes of four other suspected gang members in Watsonville Tuesday, according to Watsonville police.
Police arrested Callen on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly arriving at the victim’s studio apartment along the 900 block of Freedom Boulevard in Watsonville about 10:30 p.m. Dec. 23. The two had a short conversation and then the suspect used a handgun to shoot the victim several times in the legs and torso, according to police. Emergency personnel later found the victim in his backyard, and a helicopter flew him to a trauma center.
Early the next morning, Monterey County sheriff’s deputies pulled a car over off Bat Farms Road in Watsonville. Callen was behind the wheel and he had three male passengers. Deputies arrested Callen on suspicion of driving under the influence and took the others into custody on suspicion of possessing stolen property, according to police.
During a search of the vehicle, deputies discovered evidence they claim linked the four men to the previous night’s shooting. Police would not say what that evidence was or what evidence they took from the five suspects’ homes Tuesday.
“We’re staying pretty tight-lipped about this investigation for the time being,” Watsonville Police Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said. “We still have other possible suspects outstanding.”
Police had not made any additional arrests linked to the investigation as of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Gonzalez said. A little more than 12 hours after his arrest, though, Callen posted a $150,000 bail, about 12:40 a.m. Wednesday, and he was no longer in custody, according Sgt. Fred. Plageman with the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
The Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office did not have a file on Callen as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, so it was unclear if the office would press charges and, if so, when Callen would appear in court. State law requires that an arrestee see a judge within 48 hours of his or her arrest, excluding holidays, Sundays and arrests made after 5 p.m. Friday. The DA generally has about three years to press charges when it comes to a felony.
Callen also was suspected of being involved in an apparently unrelated attempted stabbing of a male juvenile in Watsonville. It was unclear whether Callen ever faced charges for this incident or for another apparently unrelated arrest in early September.
