Three men jailed after gang attack with shovels, hammer and knives in Watsonville

[Lucinda F. Boyd]

WATSONVILLE, CA — Three suspected gang members were arrested after police rushed to break up a fight between young men armed with shovels, knives and a hammer on Monday evening, authorities reported.

Someone called 911 around 8 p.m. to report the fight in a parking lot near Main Street and Oholone Parkway, Watsonville police Sgt. Saul Gonzalez said.

A group of young men had confronted a motorist in a parking lot, asked what gang he belonged to and challenged him to fight, police reported. Instead of driving away, the man, a 20-year-old Watsonville resident, jumped out of his car and retrieved a hammer from the back to protect himself from the gang members, Gonzalez said.

The fight broke up and some people fled before officers arrived. Jose Moreno and Isaias Benjamin Camas, both 20, and 19-year-old Chris Brian Cruz were arrested on suspicion of exhibiting deadly weapons, conspiracy and gang participation, police reported. All were held in County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail, according to jail records.

The victim told police the attackers had knives, but no injuries were reported, Gonzalez said.