Merced man opened fire into a crowd in 2014 after he was beaten up. On Monday, he was sentenced to 39 years to life in prison.

A 26-year-old Merced man was sentenced Monday to 39 years to life in prison in connection with a 2014 drive-by shooting that left one man injured.

Michael E. Janes was convicted in December of opening fire into a group of people on April 18, 2014, outside a home in the 3200 block of Juneau Court.

The victim, a 30-year-old Merced man, was shot once. The bullet passed through his arm and lodged in his upper body. He recovered, according to the Merced Police Department.

A Merced County jury convicted Janes of assault with a firearm, shooting from a vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm. His conviction included several sentencing enhancements of personally using a firearm causing significant injury and participating in a drive-by shooting, among others.

Police said the shooting was sparked after Janes was beaten up during a party at the house and returned with a gun a short time later in a car. He fired into crowd of people that included several young children and neighbors. Investigators have said the victim was not specifically targeted.

Janes was sentenced Monday by Commissioner Jeanne Schechter in Merced Superior Court.

Detective Joe Deliman, the lead investigator in the case, said he was pleased with the sentence.

“This is not the first time we think he’s done something like this, so I think the streets of Merced are definitely safer without him,” Deliman said Monday.

Deliman said investigators still are looking for the driver in the shooting, identified by police as 41-year-old Andrew Ibarra of Modesto. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Mathew Martinez, the Merced County deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, said the lengthy sentence was “appropriate.”

“I think the judge made a decision that reflects the crime committed and the defendant’s history,” Martinez said Monday.

Investigators have said Janes, Ibarra, and others involved in fight and subsequent attack may have ties to street gangs in Merced, but said the violence that night was “more of a personal beef.”

Anyone with information regarding Ibarra’s whereabouts is asked to contact Deliman at 209-385-6992. Tips are confidential and callers can remain anonymous.

This story was originally published April 10, 2017 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Merced man opened fire into a crowd in 2014 after he was beaten up. On Monday, he was sentenced to 39 years to life in prison.."