Driver sentenced in 2010 Planada gang attack

The driver of a getaway vehicle used in a gang-related attack on two Planada teenagers in 2010 received an 11-year prison sentence Wednesday in Merced Superior Court.

Ezequiel C. Castillo, 24, pleaded guilty last year to aiding the gunmen in the Aug. 30, 2010, attack on Monica Garcia and her boyfriend, Justin Gonzales, who were 17 at the time. Both victims survived their injuries.

Castillo has already served four years behind bars. It was unclear Wednesday when he would be eligible for parole. His attorney, George Herman, could not be reached for comment.

Mathew Martinez, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case, declined to comment.

Co-defendants Ramon Manzo Jr. and Jesus Ceja pleaded guilty to charges of premeditated attempted murder. Manzo was sentenced to 37 years in state prison, and Ceja was ordered to serve a life sentence with the possibility of parole. Ceja must serve at least 15 years before he is eligible for his first parole hearing, according to Merced Superior Court records.

A third man, Johnny Ray Munoz, was also charged with pulling the trigger during the attack. Munoz, however, was acquitted of all charges after a weeklong jury trial before Judge John D. Kirihara.

Prosecutors accused the four defendants of hunting for rival Sureño gang members the night of the attack. However, they shot two teenagers who were not involved in gangs. Gonzales was wearing a blue shirt, a color commonly associated with Sureño street gangs, according to the prosecution.

This story was originally published January 7, 2015 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Driver sentenced in 2010 Planada gang attack."