Indio Gas Station Shooters Sentenced 15 Years In State Prison

INDIO (CNS) – Two men who shot and injured two other men at a gas station reached a plea agreement and were immediately sentenced to 15 years in state prison, a court official said Monday.

Martin Daydi Chapa, 42, of Indio, and Daniel Ceja Lua, 34, of Mecca, pleaded guilty at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Thursday to one felony count each of attempted murder and assault with a gun in the Nov. 27, 2018, shooting at the ARCO am/pm at 42334 Jefferson St., according to court records. They also admitted to a sentence-enhancing allegation of causing great bodily injury.

“The defendants reached a plea agreement and both received 15 years in state prison,” Riverside County Superior Court Chief Deputy of Administration David Gutknecht told City News Service on Monday.

The incident began when Daniel Lua and his girlfriend were driving in Coachella and her ex-boyfriend began following the pair’s vehicle, Indio Police Department Detective Jesse Marin testified. Daniel Lua called his brother, 47- year-old David Lua of Bermuda Dunes for help, and he subsequently showed up with Chapa.

The ex-boyfriend claimed that he was following the vehicle because the woman called to ask him for help fixing her Jeep, which was experiencing mechanical issues, Indio police Officer Oscar Santos testified.

According to Deputy District Attorney Steven Sorensen, David Lua drove Chapa, who was armed with two guns, to the location. Once at the gas station, Chapa handed one of the handguns to Daniel Lua, and the two opened fire.

The ex-boyfriend and his passenger were then shot and wounded — one of the men was struck in the torso area and suffered a severed spinal cord, police said. The other man was shot in the calf, according to Santos.

The motive in the case hinged on an alleged “beef” between the ex- boyfriend and the woman’s new boyfriend, Daniel Lua, according to Sorenson.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Dean Benjamini pointed out that prosecutors presented no evidence to prove that Daniel Lua called his brother, or that David Lua knew his passenger had two guns on him before arriving at the scene. His brother had two attempted murder charges dismissed and he pleaded guilty on Jan. 14, 2022, to two felony counts of possession of controlled substances for sale and one felony count of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, according to court records.

All three defendants have prior felony convictions in Riverside County, court records show. Chapa has convictions including for robbery and evading arrest. Daniel Lua has burglary and vehicle theft convictions. David Lua was convicted of transporting a controlled substance, and also has two pending felony cases for transporting a controlled substance.

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