Update 3/9: According to District Attorney Stephen (Steve) Wagstaffe, Sargentini's attorney was not available to appear in court on Monday for the scheduled pretrial conference, so the conference was postponed until March 15. Sargentini's jury trial is still on the docket for April 4 at 8:45 a.m. at the San Mateo County Superior Court in Redwood City.
A San Jose man suspected of opening fire on a Half Moon Bay resident last July at a local gas station is scheduled for a pretrial conference in San Mateo County Superior Court Monday afternoon.
Defendant Brandon Michael Sargentini, whose case will be heard by a jury on April 4, is facing multiple charges, including one of attempted murder.
Sargentini was with San Leandro resident Samantha Nicole Warner at the gas station at the corner of Highway 1 and Highway 92 when the shooting victim (identified by the as Half Moon Bay resident Vito Valdez) spoke to Warner. Sargentini reportedly then said to the victim "If you want to talk to her, you got to pay me." The victim reportedly ignored Sargentini. According to the Office of San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, Sargentini allegedly then executed a series of actions by punching the victim in the face, drawing a revolver, threatening to kill the victim, and then shooting the victim in the forearm after the victim reportedly raised his arm in self-defense.
According to the District Attorney's Office, Warner drove Sargentini away from the scene and the pair was arrested in Alameda County on July 19, one day after the shooting. A gun was found in the vehicle occupied by Sargentini and Warner.
Sargentini is currently in custody. On Aug. 4, Warner was given a sentence of 60 days in county jail and 3 years probation after pleading nolo contendere -- otherwise known as a "no contest" plea -- to a charge of being an accessory to a felony, according to the District Attorney's Office.
