UPDATE: Watsonville Police Identify Suspects in Food Maxx Parking Lot Shooting
(L to R): Brian De La Rosa, Christopher Witherspoon, Johnny Castro
WATSONVILLE — An investigation into an incident at the Food Maxx parking lot has finally pieced together the sequence of events. On a Wednesday night back in February, 25-year-old Huberto Celaya of Watsonville was waiting for three men — Brian De La Rosa (23), Christopher Witherspoon (24), and Johnny Castro (23) — who’d arranged to purchase a large amount of marijuana from him.
Once the three met with Celaya, who happened to be in the company of one Raymond Padilla, they attempted an armed theft which resulted in a gun battle. The three sustained gunshot wounds and fled the scene in their vehicle.
Due to the severity of their wounds, they only made it as far as Ford & Kilburn before deciding to call the police themselves.
Having suffered a laceration, Celaya remained at the scene while Padilla fled.
The three men who’d attempted to steal the marijuana were treated at Natividad Trauma Center and released this week, whereupon they were promptly arrested and booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail on robbery charges.
On October 6th, police received a tip that Padilla had been spotted in a vehicle in Watsonville. Officers conducted a stop, confirmed his identity, and he was arrested without incident.
By the end of the investigation, two firearms and several pounds of marijuana had been seized.
