A Ventura County man convicted of intentionally targeting a group of bicyclists with his car has received a long prison term.
In April of 2021, Samuel Rocha of Port Hueneme was involved in a fight at a laundromat where he hit a man and a woman, and then struck someone with his car as he was leaving the parking lot.
Minutes later, he drove his car into a group of seven bicyclists near the intersection of Pleasant Valley and Ventura Roads. Sixteen-year-old Pedro Valdez was killed, and four other teens were injured.
Earlier this year, Rocha was convicted of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of battery.
In August, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for the death of Valdez, and admitted to using his vehicle as a deadly weapon. This week, he was sentenced to 27 years to life in state prison for all of the convictions.
