OXNARD : Boy Pleads Guilty to Shooting Incidents

A 16-year-old Oxnard boy pleaded guilty Monday to assault and other charges stemming from gang-related shootings last month.

Gabriel Cabrales entered the pleas in Ventura County Municipal Court. He will be sentenced Nov. 27 by Superior Court Judge Allan L. Steele. At an earlier hearing, Cabrales was ordered to stand trial as an adult.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Matthew J. Hardy said the charges stem from incidents on Sept. 2 and 4.

On Sept. 2, he said, Cabrales brandished a shotgun and fired blanks during a confrontation with rival gang members at Durley Park in Oxnard. Later that night, Hardy said, Cabrales took part in a drive-by shooting in El Rio in which a youth was struck five times. Another suspect fired the shots that struck the youth, Hardy said, but Cabrales discharged a shotgun during the incident.

Two days later, Hardy said, Cabrales shot a rival gang member with birdshot at Durley Park, causing minor injuries.

Originally charged with attempted murder, Cabrales pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of displaying a weapon to an occupant of a motor vehicle. In addition, he pleaded guilty to a charge of using a firearm in the commission of a crime. He faces up to 12 years in state prison or at a California Youth Authority facility.

Five other suspects have been charged in the drive-by shooting, Hardy said.