Javier Gomez and a 14-year-old charged for December assault with a hate crime enhancement
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced Thursday that Javier Gomez and a 14-year-old have been charged in connection to a December assault with a hate crime enhancement.
Both defendants were charged separately in adult and juvenile court on one count of assault with a deadly weapon and the special allegations that the crime was for the benefit of a criminal street gang and a hate crime detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office in a press release Thursday.
Gomez is also charged with the aggravating factors of being armed with and using a weapon and that he was on probation at the time of the offense added the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
On Dec. 31, 2024, Gomez and the 14-year-old boy allegedly cornered two African Americans walking to their car in Thousand Oaks and shouted derogatory and racist terms stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, the underage teen hit one of the cornered people with a baseball bat allegedly provided by Gomez and the person sustained minor injuries as a result of the attack.
Gomez pled not guilty during his arraignment on Jan. 3, and he remains in custody with bail set at $130,000 and his next scheduled court appearance is for an early disposition conference on Jan. 14, 2025, in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
The 14-year-old was arraigned on his charges on Jan. 6 and has been ordered detained at the juvenile facility in Oxnard and his next court appearance is currently scheduled for Jan. 21, 2025, in Juvenile Court explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.
