(North County Beat) – Two suspected gang members have been arrested in connection with a series of brutal assaults on random pedestrians near Oceanside Harbor last month. According to the Oceanside Police Department, 21-year-old Pablo Francisco Gonzalez of Oceanside and 20-year-old Jorge Luis Perez of Vista were apprehended and charged with attempted murder, assault, conspiracy, participating in gang activities, and probation violations.
Authorities say that on the evening of August 17, the two men allegedly attacked two individuals along the 1400 block of North Harbor Drive with baseball bats. The attack occurred shortly before 9 p.m., and the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle.
The victims were rushed to the hospital for treatment of head trauma, while witnesses recounted how the masked attackers appeared to be targeting random people in the vicinity. One bystander, who was recording the violence, was also accosted as the suspects attempted to steal her cellphone.
As police investigated the incident, they received reports from Tri-City Medical Center of two other victims receiving treatment for similar injuries. Although unrelated to the original victims, these individuals had been attacked in the same location and manner, leading investigators to believe they were targeted by the same assailants.
The nature of the injuries varied, but some included head lacerations and facial fractures, further highlighting the brutality of the attacks.
Both Gonzalez and Perez were booked into the Vista County Jail, where they remain without bail, pending their arraignment on Thursday afternoon. Authorities continue to investigate the connection between the suspects and any potential gang activity.
