Suspect in Pier Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

A murder suspect accused of wounding three police officers and holding six people hostage in a July 4 gun battle on the Santa Monica Pier pleaded not guilty Thursday to 16 felony counts related to the all-night standoff.

Oswaldo Amezcua, 25, of Baldwin Park appeared in Santa Monica Superior Court Thursday for his arraignment with co-defendant Joseph Conrad Flores, 30, of Baldwin Park, a friend whose arrest sparked the early morning shootings.

Amezcua was held on $8.48-million bail on multiple counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, false imprisonment of hostages, kidnapping, assault with a firearm and being a felon in possession of a gun.

Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Richard Neidorf ordered Amezcua to return to court on Sept. 11, along with co-defendant Flores.

Meanwhile, new details on the incident surfaced Thursday in a pretrial motion filed at the hearing by Amezcua’s attorney, Jan Datomi.

The motion portrayed the 10 Santa Monica police officers involved in the standoff as randomly firing into a crowd of civilians, injuring three innocent people, and missing Amezcua altogether.

Santa Monica police previously had reported that a 17-year-old boy and two women suffered minor injuries in the shootout, but that it was unclear whose gunfire hit them.

On Thursday, Santa Monica police Lt. Gary Gallinot said the results of an internal department investigation on the incident are expected by early September.

The criminal investigation related to Amezcua’s case is ongoing, he said, adding that the department would not comment until the inquiry is completed.

Amezcua, a convicted felon and named gang member, is charged with shooting two officers in the leg and a third in the arm as he held several people hostage inside the Playland Arcade about 1:30 a.m. on Independence Day.

All three officers have been released from the hospital and have remained on paid leave, Gallinot said. The most seriously wounded officer, Christina Coria, is expected to undergo more surgery on her arm.

Flores pleaded not guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a gun.

The holiday shootout was the second at the Santa Monica Pier since March when five people were wounded after one man asked another about his gang affiliation. No arrests have been made in that incident.

Police records show that violent and gang-related crime at the pier increased from 1998 to 1999.

But, Santa Monica police said the number of incidents is low considering that 3.5 million people visit the pier annually to frequent the bars, restaurants, carnival rides and arcade games there.

At a meeting Tuesday night, pier merchants met with Santa Monica police and area residents to discuss ways to improve pier safety.

Residents called for better safety measures on the beaches and parking lots that surround the structure.

Seven months ago, the Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously to exempt the Playland Arcade from a 1988 law that required all arcades to close by 10 p.m., allowing the entertainment center to stay open until 2 a.m. daily.

Recently, there have been calls to close all pier businesses at midnight.