Police Arrest 2 Men in Drive-By Shooting

Police arrested two Ventura men Tuesday in a drive-by shooting in the downtown area last month.

Jaime Sigala and Richard Mata II, both 23, were booked into Ventura County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder. They were being held in lieu of $500,000 bail.

The shooting occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. on April 18 at the intersection of Poli and California streets. A 19-year-old Ventura man, Juan Huerta, and a 14-year-old boy were at a stop sign when their car came under fire by people in another car.

Several bullets smashed through the rear window and passed through the car out the front windshield. One bullet knocked Huerta’s baseball cap off his head. Neither Huerta nor his passenger were hurt in the shooting. Police suspected they had been mistaken for gang members although neither had gang affiliations.

On Tuesday, police executed four search warrants and made two arrests. Police said Sigala is believed to be the shooter while Mata is believed to have driven the car.

Warrants were served at the homes of two other passengers in the car. The district attorney’s office will review the case to decide whether additional arrests are warranted.