Hearing delayed for pair of shooting suspects

VISALIA — Two men accused of shooting and injuring two teenagers in the parking lot of Lower Coffee Camp will return to court by the end of the month.

A Tulare County Superior Court judge on Friday set a preliminary hearing date of Sept. 27 for suspects Emmanuel Martin Gutierrez, 22, and Anthony Oley Robinson, 18.

Gutierrez and Robinson are facing charges of attempted murder with accompanying gang allegations in connection with the Sept. 2 shooting.

Authorities are still investigating whether or not there is enough evidence to charge a third suspect; a juvenile male.

Charges were not filed against a fourth man who was initially arrested along with Gutierrez and Robinson.

Attorney Bob Bartlett stood in Friday as defense counsel. Because of a conflict of interest, both suspects will be assigned new defense lawyers by the court.

A preliminary hearing confirmation is set for Sept. 20.

The victims in this case, 18-year-old Freddie Pedraza and a 15-year-old girl, told deputies they were in the parking lot area at Lower Coffee Camp when the four approached them and fired several rounds, according to a news release issued the day after the incident.

Pedraza was struck twice, in the arm and in the abdomen. The girl was hit once in the arm. None of the injuries was life-threatening.

Officers from the U.S. Forest Service arrived on the scene first. The victims gave a description of the suspects and their vehicle — a 1997 Chrysler Sebring — to officers, who relayed the information to the Sheriff’s Department, which had deputies en route to the area.

A responding deputy saw the suspects and their vehicle, reportedly driven by Emmanuel Gutierrez, heading west on Highway 190 from the scene of the shooting, and tried unsuccessfully to stop the car.

The suspects engaged deputies in a high-speed chase that ended with the suspects crashing their car near the intersection of Highway 190 and Road 284 in Porterville.

The suspects reportedly fled the vehicle but were later apprehended with the assistance of a SheriffÂ’s Department K-9.

Detectives from the SheriffÂ’s DepartmentÂ’s Gang Violence Suppression Unit responded to the crash scene and reportedly found a firearm linked to the case.

Both the confirmation date and preliminary hearing are scheduled at 8:30 a.m. in Dept. 11 of the Superior Court in Visalia.

Contact Sarah Elizabeth Villicana at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or svillicana@portervillerecorder.com.