ORANGE COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY NEWS RELEASE

Case # 14NF3221

Date: July 21, 2017

MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR DRIVE-BY SHOOTING ON 91 FREEWAY

SANTA ANA – A man was sentenced today to five years in state prison for shooting at a man in another car on the 91 Freeway.

Defendant: Jerry Valentin, 35, Scottsdale, Arizona

Pleaded guilty on April 12, 2017, to:

• One felony count assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm
• Sentencing enhancement for personal use of a firearm

Sentence:

• Five years in state prison

Circumstances of the Case

• At approximately 4:20 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2014, Valentin drove eastbound on the 91 Freeway near the Interstate 5 interchange in Fullerton.
• The defendant swerved his vehicle toward a sports utility vehicle (SUV) being driven by Kenneth Baker, a truck driver from Santa Ana and a former reserve police officer.
• Valentin drove alongside the SUV and using a handgun, loaded with shotgun rounds, to fire at least one round at the driver’s side of the Baker’s SUV.
• Valentin hit Baker in the arm and torso as a result of the pellets fired from the shotgun round.
• The defendant discarded the gun on the freeway and drove away from the scene.
• The victim called 911 and continued to follow the defendant’s vehicle.
• At approximately 4:45 p.m. the California Highway Patrol (CHP) stopped a vehicle matching the description of the defendant’s vehicle on the eastbound 91 Freeway near the 241 toll road interchange.
• The Fullerton Police Department arrested the defendant and investigated this case.

Prosecutor: Deputy District Attorney Susan Laird, Special Prosecutions Unit

TONY RACKAUCKAS, District Attorney

Susan Kang Schroeder, Chief of Staff
Office: 714-347-8408
Cell: 714-292-2718

Michelle Van Der Linden,Spokesperson
Office: 714-347-8405
Cell: 714-323-4486