SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 28-year-old third-striker has been charged with two felony counts of attempted murder for opening fire on two undercover gang officers in the city of Orange who were driving through a gang neighborhood in an unmarked police car. The two officers returned fire, but no one was injured.
On the evening of Thursday, November 21, 2024, two undercover gang officers from the Orange Police Department were in an unmarked police vehicle when Victor Manuel Trinidad, whom they recognized from prior police contacts, shouted “what’s up, homie, where you from?” and grabbed something from his waistband.
Twenty minutes later, officers returned to the area with an Orange County probation officer to search for the man they believed had a gun. The officers quickly located Trinidad, who began aggressively walking toward the unmarked police vehicle and throwing up his hands.
As the two undercover Orange officers got out of their vehicle, Trinidad opened fire on the officers. Both officers returned fire. A round was later found in the door of the officers’ unmarked vehicle.
In addition to the two felony counts of attempted murder, Trinidad, 28, of Orange, has been charged with one felony count of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one felony count of discharging a firearm at a vehicle, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon. He has also been charged with two felony enhancements of attempted premeditated murder, two felony enhancements of discharge of a firearm, and one felony enhancement of personally using a firearm.
He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted on all counts. He is currently being held without bail.
“This dangerous criminal didn’t care who was in that car; he opened fire to send a message that they didn’t belong in his neighborhood,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Thankfully, the officers were not injured and they will continue to do the work to protect our communities from the scourge of gangs.”
