Sergio Contreras of Oxnard sentenced to 16 years in connection with August 2024 assault in El Rio
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Sergio Contreras of Oxnard was sentenced to 16 years in state prison for assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy, and street terrorism in connection with an August 2024 gang-related attack in an El Rio parking lot.
Contreras was previously convicted by a Ventura County jury on Dec. 10, 2025.
The jury also found true all special allegations including that the crime involved great violence and was on behalf of a street gang and the court also found true that Contreras was armed and used a weapon, a pocket knife, to commit the crime as well as that he was on probation at the time of the violations detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Monday.
On Aug. 19, 2024, a man was being watched by three known gang members, including Contreras, in a restaurant parking lot in the unincorporated community of El Rio shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Surveillance video captured Contreras driving a white Honda Accord into the same parking lot, parking near the victim's vehicle, and waiting inside of the car with the other men where they watched their intended victim explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Contreras then exited the Accord, spoke with the victim and then punched him before placing him into a headlock noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The three passengers then joined Contreras and began to punch and kick the victim added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
After breaking free and trying to run away, the victim was tripped and knocked to the ground and video captured Contreras pulling out what appeared to be a folding knife and stabbing the victim in the leg and arm as he shielded himself from the attack stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Contreras folded the knife and returned it to his pocket before all four attackers fled the scene and one of the men took one of the victim's shoes
The knife was never recovered, but detectives did locate the stolen shoe during a search of one of the defendant's homes noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
Two of the other defendants charged in connection with the attack pled guilty to charges of assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, conspiracy to commit a crime, and street terrorism stated the Venture County District Attorney's Office.
The third person involved was a juvenile at the time and pled guilty to the same charges as the other two defendants detailed above shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
"This was a gang-motivated attack that could have easily resulted in a loss of life," said Senior Deputy District Attorney Lauren Malan who prosecuted the case. "The defendant’s actions demonstrate the extreme danger gang violence poses to our community, and this sentence reflects the seriousness of that conduct and our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable."
