FULLERTON, Calif.—A 36-year-old Anaheim man has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a drive-by shooting at an Anaheim strip club on Halloween 2020 that injured four people.
Edgar Nava Ayala pleaded guilty Aug. 28 to four counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault with an assault weapon, and a count of shooting into an occupied building. He also admitted sentencing enhancements for the discharge of a weapon and causing great bodily injury.
Mr. Ayala was given credit for 1,131 days in jail awaiting trial.
Daniel Ocampo Nava of Anaheim pleaded guilty March 2 of last year to a felony count of being an accessory, and as part of his plea deal four counts of assault with a machine gun and shooting at an inhabited dwelling, all felonies, were dismissed.
The suspects, who were evicted from the Sahara Theatre, at 1210 S. State College Blvd., for refusing to wear masks, got into a red Toyota Camry and opened fire on the strip club with an AK-47-style rifle about 1:30 a.m. Oct. 31, 2020, according to police.
Four victims, a mix of patrons and employees, were injured in the shooting, police said. The injuries ranged from minor to moderate.
Co-defendant Juan Jose Acosta-Soto was sentenced Dec. 8, 2021, to 11 years in prison for his guilty plea to four counts each of attempted murder and assault with a machine gun as well as a count of discharge of a gun at an inhabited dwelling, all felonies.
Mr. Acosta-Soto, 21, also admitted sentencing enhancements for furnishing a firearm.
Mr. Acosta-Soto was driving the Camry during the shooting, Anaheim Sgt. Shane Carringer said.
