A gang member has pleaded guilty to a racially motivated hate crime attack with a baseball bat on a man in the Conejo Valley.
The attack happened in a Thousand Oaks parking lot in December of 2024. Ventura County Sheriff’s officials say Javier Gomez and a juvenile walked up to an African-American man who was walking to his parked car with his wife. The duo yelled racial slurs and cornered the victim. Gomez hit the man in the head with a baseball bat and then handed the bat to the juvenile, who also struck the victim.
The man’s recovery from his injuries took months.
Gomez pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon, with added hate crime and gang allegations. He faces up to five years in state prison.
The minor in the case also admitted to the charges in juvenile court and has been sentenced for his part in the attack.
