FAYETTEVILLE -- Prosecutors in Washington County have charged a Springdale teen as an adult in connection with a drive-by shooting incident last week.
Jaime Eduardo Manzano, 16, was charged Tuesday with second-degree unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle; committing a terroristic act; theft by receiving; and, misdemeanor fleeing. Manzano will be 17 in late October.
Manzano fired several rounds from a vehicle at a residence and at individuals outside of the residence and was in possession of a stolen firearm, according to court documents charging him this week. No one was injured. Manzano ran away from police officers trying to question him about his involvement in the drive-by shooting.
Springdale police declined a request for a copy of an incident report or other documents related to the shooting.
"The report is an open investigation and it involves juveniles and therefore cannot be released," police spokesman Lt. Jeff Taylor said via text message.
The incident happened Friday night, according to prosecutors. That was a day after Giovanni Vasquez-Sanchez was convicted of being an accomplice to the killing of 20-year-old Jimmy Rodriguez, in a drive-by shooting on Savage Street in Springdale on April 11, 2015. Vasquez-Sanchez was the driver.
Manzano was identified in court testimony as being a passenger in the car when Rodolfo Martinez said Rodriquez. Manzano was 13, too young to be charged as an adult. State law prohibits the release of information about juvenile arrest records and juvenile court proceedings.
Martinez, 21, was convicted in August 2017 of capital murder, two counts of unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and three counts of committing a terroristic act. Martinez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Vasquez-Sanchez, 21, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for accomplice to first-degree murder and unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle.
The other passenger, Jose Andrew Delatorre, 21, pleaded guilty in September 2017 to accomplice to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 20 years.
Washington County prosecutor Matt Durrett said last week the convictions of Vasquez-Sanchez, Martinez and Delatorre are a significant win in Springdale's battle against gangs.
Springdale police issued a news release Wednesday about Friday night's incident in the 2400 block of Trudi Street. Three Hispanic juveniles in a gray BMW car were arrested while running away from the area. A firearm was found in the car, according to the release.
Two other juveniles who were no longer in the car were arrested later and police are looking for another juvenile.
The back window of a red GMC Yukon was shot during the incident, according to the news release.
Manzano is being held in juvenile detention.
NW News on 08/31/2018