SAN CLEMENTE : Arraignments Set in Street Incident

Three suspected gang members, accused of being part of a mob that terrorized a San Clemente woman by stopping a car she was driving and hammering the vehicle with 2-by-4s, will be arraigned next month.

Jose Luis Diaz, 18, of Long Beach--charged with vandalism and assault and battery on a police officer--and James Galvan, 18, of San Clemente--charged with inciting a riot--will be arraigned at Municipal Court in Laguna Niguel on Aug. 7. A 17-year-old boy was also arrested and is being charged with vandalism and assault and battery on a police officer, but will be given a hearing at a later date.

Police say the three were part of a group of 10 men who stopped a woman in a heavily Latino area about a mile from the San Clemente Pier late Friday night.

The woman was driving a 1983 Datsun along West Escalones near Calle Puente at 11 p.m. Police spokesman Downing said that several men stepped in front of the vehicle, forcing it to stop.

The group, which Downing said included several gang members, began taunting the woman, shouting, “Get off our street!” Several of them grabbed two-by-fours and began hitting the car, Downing said.

Police arrived on the scene and arrested Diaz and the juvenile. While officers were attempting to subdue the pair, Downing said, Diaz spat at them and they were bitten by the juvenile.

While the two were being handcuffed, Downing said, Galvan began urging the crowd to rescue the two and attack the policemen. He was subsequently arrested for attempting to incite riot.

The woman was unharmed and her car received only minor damage, Downing said.

Although at a loss to explain the motive behind the incident, Downing said that police have seen an increasing tendency toward violence by the so-called Chicos Varrios gang in San Clemente. “We’ve spotted more violent behavior, found more weapons recently,” Downing said.