Violent crime by juveniles up this year, prosecutor says

As charges were filed Thursday against three men and a teen in Saturday night's gang-related drive-by shooting in South Park, King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg released statistics showing a dramatic spike in violent gun crime by juveniles this year.

Last year, 19 juveniles were charged as adults for violent crimes in King County. This year there already have been 31.

"I share the great concern of police and community leaders over this disturbing trend of teenagers turning to gun violence to settle petty grievances," Satterberg said. "We need to send a strong and consistent message to youth that gun violence is not an acceptable option."

Under state law, 16- and 17-year-olds who commit serious, violent offenses can automatically be charged as adults.

The 31st juvenile to be charged as an adult this year is Armando Gomez-Pablo, 16, of West Seattle, who prosecutors contend was the driver in the Sunday shooting in which an 18-year-old gang rival was wounded.

Also charged with drive-by shooting are Rudy Rapisura, 24, of South Seattle, Jairo Gomez-Cervantes, 19, of South Seattle, and David Bryan Santos, 18, of Burien. They are being held at the Regional Justice Center in Kent pending arraignment Aug. 25.

A fifth suspect, age 18, who was in the same white GMC Jimmy with the others at the time of the shooting, has not been charged. Prosecutors say they are still investigating his role.

According to charging documents, the four defendants are members of the "Sureño Villains 13" street gang. Just before midnight Saturday they had argued with several members of the rival "Norte" gang at a South Park gas station. Apparently, the Sureños were angry that the Nortes had been marking out the Sureños' graffiti "tags."

When the Sureños warned them to leave their tags alone, the Nortes just laughed, the documents say. The Sureños talked about shooting the Nortes right then and there but decided against it because a gas-station surveillance camera might record them.

Meanwhile, the Nortes ran away, down an alley. But about 20 minutes later, the Sureños found their foes behind a house in the 1000 block of South Sullivan Street, the documents say.

Gomez-Pablo parked the SUV, and Rapisura, Gomez-Cervantes and Santos got out and ran toward the Nortes. Several shots rang out, and Joshua S. Vanhalteren was hit once in the back, the documents say.

Vanhalteren ended up at Harborview Medical Center, but his wound was not life-threatening, police said.

After the shooting, the Sureños ran back to the SUV, and Gomez Pablo drove out of South Park, intending to go to his house in West Seattle. But two Seattle police detectives driving toward the scene of the shooting spotted the SUV, and the foursome was stopped on Interstate 5.

A police report says detectives found two semi-automatic pistols — both empty — in the SUV, along with some gang paraphernalia and a small amount of marijuana.

Of the four men charged in the crime, only Rapisura has a criminal record. Prosecutors say he has twice been convicted of assault.

Ian Ith: 206-464-2109 or iith@seattletimes.com