Two arrested in shooting at trouble-plagued bar

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- Police have arrested two men in connection with a shooting at a Santa Rosa bar early this morning.

The shooting occurred at El Puente Cantina at 1709 Santa Rosa Ave., which was also the scene of an assault last Friday and a homicide on Dec. 3.

At 2:10 a.m. today, Santa Rosa police Officer Dan Shacklett heard shots fired near the front of the bar, Sgt. Steve Fraga said.

Shacklett and other officers found 30-year-old Jose Chavez, of Santa Rosa, suffering from gunshot wounds to his chest and knee, Fraga said. Chavez was treated at a hospital and released.

Police interviewed witnesses and suspects at police headquarters, including two girls, ages 15 and 16, Fraga said. The girls were later released to their parents, Fraga said.

Police identified the suspects as Julio Cesar Fernandez, 34, and Jesus Antonio Amador-Siordia, 23, both of Santa Rosa, Fraga said.

Both were booked into Sonoma County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, reckless discharge of a firearm and conspiracy, Fraga said. They are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon in Sonoma County Superior Court.

The bar was still open at the time of the shooting, and a band was playing, but it's unknown if the bar was still serving alcohol, Fraga said.

In last Friday's incident, police responded to an assault involving two women at the bar around 2 a.m., Fraga said.

The suspect, Heidi Gonzales, 19, of Santa Rosa, was arrested at her home Monday afternoon on suspicion of hitting 25-year-old Yuridia Hernandez, 25, of Sebastopol, in the forehead with a bottle or other hard object, Fraga said.

Gonzales was booked into Sonoma County Jail for assault with a deadly weapon, Fraga said.

In the homicide case, Jose Campos-Mendoza, 17, and Alfonso Ramirez-Mendoza, 18, both of Santa Rosa, have been charged with the shooting murder of Christopher Medina Ochoa, 23, of Santa Rosa, and two attempted murders at cantina on Dec. 3. Their preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 13.

There also was a shooting at the bar on July 1, 2011, and an assault with a beer bottle on May 7, Fraga said.

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