Bay Point homicide: Three suspects yelled out gang taunt before fatal beating, DA says

Three men have been charged with beating a victim to death to benefit the Norteno gang.

MARTINEZ — New details have been released about a fatal beating in Bay Point, which prosecutors allege was motivated by a gang conflict.

Three men, Erick A. Ruiz, 24, Abel I. Garcia, 20, and Jesse E. Addison, 19, have been charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder, as well as assault and robbery. The charging records allege that the crimes were carried out to benefit the Norteño gang, and that they beat to death the victim, 38-year-old Johnny Burns, using their bare hands.

According to the criminal complaint filed Friday, Ruiz, Garcia, and Addison called Burns a “scrap” — a derogatory name for the rival Sureño gang — before initiating the beating. The charging records include so-called “street terrorism” enhancements, which will add time to the sentence if they’re convicted.

All charges are a result of two violent acts in Bay Point, which occurred the evening of July 19. The charging records allege that after Burns was beaten to death, the three defendants stabbed and robbed a male victim who’s referred to only as “John Doe.”

Police initially linked Garcia and Ruiz to the stabbing, but after further investigation asked for murder charges to be filed. Addison had not been named as a suspect prior to the charging records being made public.

According to authorities, Garcia was a target of Operation Omega Red — a massive 2016 wiretap investigation aimed at the Norteño gang — but was never charged in connection with that probe.

The Norteño gang is based in Northern California, and is considered the street wing of the Nuestra Familia prison gang, and uses the color red and the number 14 as symbols. Its main rivals are the Sureño gang, which originated in Southern California, uses the color blue and the number 13, and is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia prison gang.

In order to prove the conspiracy charge, prosecutors will have to establish that the defendants agreed in advance to attack Burns using potentially fatal force.

All three defendants are expected to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. on August 1, in Dept. 4 of the Pittsburg Courthouse.