Bend PD: Shooting getaway driver, 18, arrested

(Update: Bend 18-year-old charged as driver in robbery)

An 18-year-old Bend man was arrested his home on Wednesday, accused of being the driver in a weekend marijuana robbery by two 15-year-olds at a northwest Bend apartment, during which a 16-year-old was shot and seriously wounded.

Police learned shortly after the Saturday evening shooting that Jesus Salvador Diego took part in the robbery at the Awbrey Pines Apartments near Centra Oregon Community College by driving the 15-year-olds, Israel Garcia and Brandon Rodas, to and from the location, Lt. Clint Burleigh said.

Detectives contacted Salvador Diego Wednesday afternoon at his home and he was arrested without incident, Burleigh said. he was taken to the Deschutes County Jail and booked on charges of first-degree robbery and felony criminal conspiracy.

“At this time, we are not anticipating any more arrests in this case,” Burleigh said in a news release.

Online court records show Salvador Diego was arrested last summer on misdemeanor charges of DUII, recklessly endangering another person and reckless driving. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to a one-year probation and an alcohol treatment program, as well as a victim impact panel.

Salvador Diego was charged in November with criminal driving with a suspended or revoked license. He pleaded guilty Dec. 13 and was sentenced Dec. 28 to one day in jail and a $1,000.

On Monday, as prosecutors filed adult charges against the two 15-year-olds, Bend police released their names — Israel Antunez Garcia and Brandon Perez Rodas, who just turned 15 last week — citing “the severity of this crime.” They are also charged with unlawful use of a weapon.

The two are being charged as adults under Ballot Measure 11, the 1994 voter-approved initiative that established mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for several severe crimes, Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Stephen Gunnels said.

Police also had initially charged the teens with attempted murder and first-degree burglary, but the DA’s office did not include those in the preliminary charges filed Monday.

Asked about that decision, Gunnels told NewsChannel 21 the case will go to a grand jury within a week, and they will review the evidence to determine appropriate charges. The two teens are due for arraignment on an expected formal indictment on Tuesday, Jan. 16, by video hookup from the juvenile detention center.

Saturday night’s shooting occurred at the Awbrey Pines Apartments at Northwest Regency Street and College Way, very close to the campus of Central Oregon Community College.

COCC Director of College Relations Ron Paradis said Monday they decided to alert their students through their text alert system that is in place.

Paradis said they implemented the system when the Clery Act was put into place requiring schools to alert students and faculty of dangers.

The system is typically used to alert people of weather-related issues on campus, but in this case they elected to alert everyone signed up for the system about the shooting that was so close to the campus.

“Knowing that somebody has left the area just a few feet away from the campus, that we have students living in the residence hall, not that many feet away from where this took place, we needed to be able to alert them that they needed to be on the lookout and to be safe,” Paradis said.

Paradis said the college works very hard to make sure their students are safe, and they want to make sure that they are releasing information about dangerous situations as quickly as possible.

In this case they wanted people to be aware of the threat, but police also told them they did not believe the shooters were a direct threat to those on campus.

Lucas Seney, a student at COCC, said he feels safe on campus but is worried that these types of crimes are happening more and more often.

“I feel pretty safe,” Seney said. “I feel like there are not too many people walking around that could be like a big shooter threat or anything, but it is always possible.”

Seney said he did not receive the text but heard from some friends about the situation.

He said some of the students were pretty concerned about the situation when he was talking to them in class Monday.

Camden Gregg was moving into Awbrey Pines and was just about a block away from the parking lot when he received the text about the shooting.

He said his first thought was to make sure his friends at the complex were OK. And then he said he was a little concerned about moving in to the apartments after hearing the news.

“Is this the right apartment to move into, and I was like, this is Bend, Oregon, you know what I mean, and I didn’t ever think this would happen,” Gregg said.

Gregg, who went to high school in Bend, said he was shocked to hear about the situation.

He added that he has always felt safe going to class and living in that area, but this event has made him question that.