SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Department announced they have made three new arrests in connection with the string of gel pellet gun attacks in Hillcrest over the summer. The attacks were just reported on University Avenue and left several victims.

But one victim says he can breathe out.

“It gives me some relief to know that there are three more people off the street who terrorized our community,” said Eddie Reynoso.

He was hit in the eye back in May in one of these attacks that the police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

“This brings up a range of emotions,” he says. “Of course I’m angry, I’m grieving, but I also feel a lot of sadness.”

Months later, in September, more attacks were reported, leaving more victims. The latest suspects, all 19-year-olds, now face multiple hate crime charges related to the series of attacks.

“You know, you can call it a gel pellet gun, a BB gun, a toy gun — but at the end of the day, they terrorized our community,” says Reynoso.

SDPD identified the suspects as Anthony Lopez-Quiones, Arturo Herrera-Sustaita and Angelo Nathaniel Aron.

While police work to bring those responsible for these attacks to justice, for victims like Reynos, it has had a lasting impact on his life.
“The first, I would say, two months were extremely difficult,” he says.

That attack and the damage it caused changed his life completely.

“I went to therapy and in August I quit my job so I can check into an intensive outpatient program. And I’ve been very loud. I became homeless and lived out of my car,” says Reynoso.

Reynoso says he has worked to turn his life around during this healing journey but expressed concern that these young suspects will not get that chance.

“Being charged with a felony, you know, it’s going to affect their whole life and not just them but their loved ones — just as much, if not more than it has affected someone like myself who is a victim,” says he. “It’s sad because it makes me wonder what in their lives would make them go hunting for people.”

The three suspects will be arraigned next week.

SDPD credited the automatic license plate readers with leading to the arrests.