Gilroyan Cesar Villagrana, 36, the Hells Angel member who was
arrested for three felonies connected with the deadly melee in
Sparks, Nev. on Sept. 23 that left the San Jose Hells Angels
president dead
– has been released on bail, according to Washoe County
Sheriff’s Deputy Armando Avina.
Gilroyan Cesar Villagrana, 36, the Hells Angel member who was arrested for three felonies connected with the deadly melee in Sparks, Nev. on Sept. 23 that left the San Jose Hells Angels president dead – has been released on bail, according to Washoe County Sheriff’s Deputy Armando Avina.
Villagrana’s original $500,000 cash-only bail was reduced to a $150,000 bondable bail late Monday, according to Avina. Shortly after, Villagrana posted the reduced bail and walked free from county jail at 8:56 p.m., Avina said.
A preliminary hearing was set for Oct. 12 in Reno, however Karl Hall, the Deputy District Attorney with the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, explained “if somebody is in custody, once they bail out, the initial hearing or preliminary hearing will be set out to a date convenient for the defense counsel.”
Hall doesn’t know what that date is, but did say there were no special conditions surrounding Villagrana’s release.
Police booked Villagrana at 7:49 a.m. Sept. 24 into the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office on three felony counts including assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a stolen firearm – a 9mm Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun, according to Avina.
Villagrana’s offenses also include carrying a concealed weapon and aiming a firearm at another person, two charges Avina said are gross misdemeanors.
Police say Villagrana was videotaped shooting into the crowd during the disruption between rival motorcycle gangs the Hells Angels and the Vagos on Sept. 23 inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget. Footage, however, has not been released and officials have not verified if any of his rounds hit the three victims. On Thursday, Ernesto Manuel Gonzalez, 53, of San Jose and a Vagos member, was named in a police affidavit as the suspect implicated in the death of Jeffrey “Jethro” Pettigrew, 51, according to the Associated Press.
All hell broke loose around 11:26 p.m. Sept. 23 inside John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, Nev., a hotel and casino serving as one of several venues for the 18th annual Street Vibrations Motorcycle rally, “a celebration of music, metal and motorcycles” according to the group’s website.
The SPD was notified of a large group fight between rival motorcycle gangs Vagos and Hells Angels – of at least 60 people – involving men with firearms, and shortly after reported the firing of rounds that resulted in three individuals with gunshot wounds. Pettigrew, a heavy equipment operator for San Jose’s Department of Transportation, was allegedly shot in the back four times inside the Nevada casino by Gonzalez.
The incident in Nevada isn’t Villagrana’s first run-in with the law. Following a March 17 collision in Aptos – for which Villagrana was found to be at fault – he made Santa Cruz headlines when the California Highway Patrol discovered the Gilroy Hells Angel was carrying an unregistered handgun, according to Alex Byers, Assistant District Attorney with the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office.
The discovery of the weapon came after Villagrana collided his 2002 Harley Davidson with a Honda and Toyota on Soquel Drive near State Park Drive in Aptos, according to CHP Spokeswoman Sarah Jackson.
Byers said Villagrana was taken to a Santa Cruz hospital. Villagrana was later arrested for the unregistered gun charge on April 1, when Gilroy Police and officers from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Department arrived at his Gilroy home with a search warrant.
Villagrana was scheduled to appear in Santa Cruz County Superior Court Sept. 29, but a warrant for his arrest was issued after Villagrana failed to appear in court, because he was in custody in Nevada. Now, an additional bench warrant for his arrest has been set at $100,000.
Byers, who said Villagrana has made no pleas to the unregistered gun charges, confirmed Villagrana’s next court date in Santa Cruz is scheduled for Oct. 21.
As for Villagrana’s association with the Hells Angels, Byers said “every law enforcement agency that I know of considers them to be a criminal street gang.”
According to the most recent statement from SPD, the “Sparks Police Department personnel are continuing to conduct follow-up interviews with responding officers from local law enforcement agencies and additional witnesses from inside of John Ascuaga’s Nugget.”
The SPD said video footage from the Nugget will not be released at this time, as “personnel are still viewing additional camera angles to identify persons of interest and/or witnesses.”
As for local law enforcement’s reaction to the incident, Sgt. Jose Cardoza with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office said their agency has no credible intelligence related to possible acts of retaliation incited by Pettigrew’s death.
“We are increasing the level of awareness in all our patrol deputies by just informing them about what happened over in Nevada with the San Jose chapter leader being killed,” Cardoza added. “If anything, we are increasing the patrol division’s awareness and making them aware of what’s going on.”
According to Detective Rob Begbie with the Sparks Police Department, Villagrana lives at 6870 Rosanna St. in Gilroy.
Sgt. Chad Gallacinao with the Gilroy Police Department ensured the issue is on the GPD’s radar.
“The Gilroy Police Department is aware of the release of Cesar and his involvement with the events that occurred in Sparks and of his release,” said Gallacinao. “We are aware of possible retaliation, and we are taking the appropriate measures.”
