Random gunshots follow indecent exposure incident

No one was harmed Friday night when some 10 random gunshots were fired outside the Sonoma Taco Bell.

Several witnesses reported hearing gunshots and seeing the flash of gunfire at about 9 p.m., according to Deputy A.J Winter. A number of people scattered, running from the area, he said.

Shell casings were found on the sidewalk near the restaurant.

The suspect was believed to be among a group that jumped into a white Nissan pickup and sped off eastbound on Verano Ave. 



Responding deputies caught three male suspects running from the area. Arrested were Byron Alvarez, 24; Juan Chavarria, 20; and a 17 year-old male, all residents of El Verano.

Alvarez and the 17-year-old were determined to be involved in a lewd conduct incident just minutes before the shooting, at nearby Maxwell Farms Regional Park.

A security guard came across a group of suspected gang members drinking beer in the park, Winter reported. During the confrontation the suspects pulled their pants down and exposed themselves to the guard and threw open beers at him.

The men laughed off the guard’s threat to call in law enforcement, and walked away towards Highway 12. 

The guard told responding officers that shortly after the men walked off he heard approximately ten shots being fired from the area of Taco Bell.