A 25-year-old Yakima man with documented Norteño gang ties is being held on $500,000 bail after police say license plate cameras and a specialized pursuit device helped them track him down following a shooting outside a south Yakima bar. Officers were called to El Asadero bar at 1107 S. Third St. at 1:08 a.m. on August 24, where they found a man being treated for two gunshot wounds to his abdomen, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Detectives with the Yakima Police Department used the Flock camera system to identify the car used in the shooting, as reported by the Yakima Herald-Republic. Surveillance video reviewed by investigators reportedly showed the suspect walking to the bar patio, then running to a car after a shot was heard, and tucking a gun into his waistband as he fled, per the affidavit. Another man had chased the suspect and fired toward him during the encounter, the affidavit states. Further investigation identified the suspect, and his booking photograph matched the shooter seen in the surveillance footage, according to the affidavit.
Surveillance and a Stakeout Lead to Arrest
The paper's reporting indicates the same surveillance video showed the suspect parking near the bar on East Arlington Street before walking over. Once detectives had a suspect in mind, the YPD's Proactive Policing Unit staked out his home and watched him get into a car and drive away. Officers stopped the vehicle near North 16th Avenue and Mount Vernon Avenue, but the suspect ran from officers rather than surrender.
Police deployed a grappler — a device that uses a nylon net to snag a fleeing vehicle's rear wheel and axle — to stop the car, then used a Taser to shock the suspect during the arrest, per the same account. Officers took the suspect into custody and found him carrying a Sig Sauer P365 9mm pistol, which matched the caliber of bullets that struck the victim, the affidavit says.
Prior Convictions and Pending Charges
The suspect has prior convictions for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree assault, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, and eluding, according to the Herald-Republic's report. He was booked on suspicion of drive-by shooting, first-degree assault, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, first-degree driving with a revoked license, and obstructing police. He is currently held in the Yakima County Jail.
Under Washington state law, drive-by shooting is classified as a Class B felony carrying up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $20,000. Because the suspect's record includes a prior conviction for second-degree assault, a firearm charge under RCW 9.41.040 escalates to first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm — also a Class B felony carrying up to 10 years, according to Blair & Kim, PLLC. Washington sentencing guidelines also allow prosecutors to seek an exceptional sentence above standard ranges when a felony is proven to benefit a criminal street gang, per Washington Civil Jury Instructions.
Escalating Bail and a Prior Case
The suspect was already out on bail for burglary charges at the time of the shooting, with bail on a related firearm allegation initially set at $5,000, according to the Herald-Republic's reporting. His bail on the earlier charges was later increased from $10,000 to $20,000. In connection with the bar shooting, bail has now been set at $500,000.
How License Plate Cameras Identified the Getaway Car
The Yakima Police Department first rolled out automated license plate reader technology in 2023 using $123,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, according to InvestigateWest. By mid-2026, law enforcement agencies across Yakima County were operating more than 70 Flock Safety cameras under municipal contracts costing roughly $270,000 annually, even as local debate over Fourth Amendment privacy concerns has grown, per NBC Right Now. Hoodline reported similar camera tracking just days earlier in a separate Wapato shooting case. State lawmakers have since passed Senate Bill 6002 to restrict how license plate data can be stored and shared with federal immigration authorities or out-of-state agencies, according to the Yakima Response Network.
Street-level Norteño gang sets operating in Yakima and Central Washington function under the organizational direction of the Nuestra Familia prison gang enterprise, which federal prosecutors have targeted through multi-agency racketeering prosecutions, per the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal agencies including the ATF Violent Crime Task Force, the FBI, and the DEA regularly partner with Yakima police on gang trafficking and firearm investigations across the region, the Justice Department notes. It remains unclear when the suspect will be formally arraigned on the new charges, and Yakima County's ongoing public defender shortage has created courtroom backlogs for defendants held in custody, as documented by InvestigateWest. The Yakima Herald-Republic does not identify defendants before criminal charges are formally filed. The condition of the shooting victim has not been detailed beyond the initial abdominal gunshot wounds described in the affidavit.
