By Redaccion
[email protected]
District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced that Javier Gomez (born November 22, 2005) and a 14-year-old juvenile, both residents of Thousand Oaks, have been charged in connection with a hate crime attack against an African American victim.
The two defendants are being prosecuted separately, with Gomez facing charges in adult court and the juvenile in juvenile court. Each has been charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon, accompanied by special allegations that the crime was gang-related and racially motivated.
Additionally, Gomez faces aggravating allegations for being armed with and using a weapon during the attack and for committing the crime while on probation.
On December 31, 2024, Gomez and the juvenile allegedly confronted two African Americans walking to their car in Thousand Oaks. The defendants reportedly yelled racial slurs, including the N-word, as they cornered the victims. Gomez, armed with a baseball bat, is accused of handing it to the juvenile, who then struck one of the victims multiple times. The victim sustained minor injuries.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Hayley Moyer, from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office Major Crime Gangs Unit, is prosecuting the case against Gomez. The juvenile case is being handled by Senior Deputy District Attorney Joann Roth.
Gomez pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on January 3, 2025. He remains in custody with bail set at $130,000 and is scheduled to appear in court for an early disposition conference on January 14, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 12 of the Ventura County Superior Court.
The juvenile was arraigned on January 6, 2025, and ordered to remain detained at the juvenile facility in Oxnard. His next hearing is set for January 21, 2025, in Juvenile Court.
