Son of an Anti-Gang Activist Faces Drive-By Murder Trial

A young Glendale man whose mother has crusaded publicly against gang violence was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on charges that he murdered a rival gang member in a drive-by shooting.

In addition, Robin J. Carranza, 19, will be tried on four counts of attempted murder and four counts of assault with a firearm because, authorities say, he also fired at the slain youth’s companions, wounding one of them.

Glendale Municipal Judge Joseph DeVanon issued the ruling at the end of a tense, two-hour preliminary hearing. Arraignment was set for Dec. 18 in Pasadena Superior Court.

Deputy Los Angeles County marshals and Glendale police provided extra security in DeVanon’s courtroom because of concerns about violence. Officers ejected several west Glendale gang members before the hearing because they began to skirmish with members of a rival south Glendale gang.

During the hearing, Glendale police Sgt. Don Meredith ordered other gang members to leave, saying they appeared to be using facial expressions and gestures to intimidate the witnesses who testified against Carranza. The witnesses are receiving police protection, Meredith said.

“There hasn’t been retaliation yet,” the sergeant said. “We know what’s coming. We just don’t know when and where.”

Carranza is accused of killing Oscar Hernandez, 16, of Glendale, on Sept. 16. Hernandez was gunned down as he walked with four friends along Lake Street on the city’s west side.

The incident, Glendale’s first gang killing in two years, caused city officials and community leaders to voice new concerns about gang problems.

The defendant is the son of Polly Carranza, who has tried unsuccessfully to organize a support group for parents of gang members. She said in September that other parents have declined to join because they are afraid, or do not believe their children belong to gangs.

Polly Carranza said at the time of Robin’s arrest that she did not believe her own son was still a gang member. The defendant’s mother, who cried during Tuesday’s court hearing, declined to discuss the case afterward.

The key witnesses included two brothers who were walking with Hernandez. They testified that gunfire erupted from a passing tan four-door car.

“Oscar said, ‘Run, it’s a drive-by!’ ” recalled one of the brothers, a 14-year-old who was shot in the leg and arm.

His 16-year-old brother testified that he saw Hernandez collapse after being shot in the head.

“He just yelled, ‘My face!’ ” the witness testified. “I saw him grab his face and go down.”

Meredith, who supervises Glendale’s gang investigations, testified that the tan car was carrying five members of a south Glendale gang who were seeking revenge because one of their group had been beaten up by members of a west Glendale gang. Hernandez was a member of the west side gang, the sergeant said.

The others in the car have identified Carranza as the gunman, Meredith said. The others, all juveniles, have also been charged in the attack, he said.

Meredith asked that the names of the rival gangs not be published, saying it would only glamorize the groups in the gang members’ minds and might increase tensions.

Carranza’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bruce Schweiger, asked the judge to dismiss the attempted murder counts, arguing that the shots were fired at Hernandez and his friends in a random manner, with no intent to kill. But DeVanon refused the request.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Mark S. Arnold asserted that Carranza and his companions were not just on a mischievous excursion.

“These gangs have been warring for years,” the prosecutor said. “They specifically went into the rival gang’s area in a retaliatory action.”