Aramis Alvarez-Arroyo, 20, of San Francisco, admitted in federal court today to opening fire on a parked car in a bid to earn status with the Norteños street gang. The April 9, 2020, shooting near Richland Avenue and Mission Street targeted two men Alvarez-Arroyo believed were rivals from the Sureño gang. He fired three shots at the fleeing vehicle, striking its front, side, and rear windows and the front passenger headrest—but missed both occupants.
Alvarez-Arroyo pleaded guilty to one count of attempted murder in aid of racketeering, a charge carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, plus restitution and forfeiture. The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury on April 15, 2021, alleges the shooting was a calculated move to gain entry into the SFMD Norteños, a violent criminal enterprise rooted in San Francisco’s Mission District known for robbery, drug dealing, and firearms trafficking.
According to the plea agreement, Alvarez-Arroyo wore red pants and a red bandana—colors claimed by the Norteños—at the time of the shooting. He approached the vehicle, called out the driver by name, and opened fire as the car accelerated away. He admitted he intended to kill both the driver (Victim-1) and front passenger (Victim-2), associates he believed aligned with the Sureños, the Norteños’ primary rivals.
In the days following the shooting, Alvarez-Arroyo boasted about the attack on Instagram, declaring he wouldn’t miss next time. He also exchanged messages detailing the assembly of an assault rifle and expressed intent to hunt down members of the Army Street gang, further demonstrating his commitment to escalating violence for gang advancement.
The prosecution, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Organized Crime Strike Force, highlights how gang culture in San Francisco rewards brutality. Violence, prosecutors say, is currency within the Norteños hierarchy—earned quickly, paid in blood, and leveraged for position and respect. Alvarez-Arroyo’s actions fit a broader pattern of gang-driven terror the FBI and San Francisco Police Department have worked for years to dismantle.
Alvarez-Arroyo remains in custody ahead of his sentencing hearing, scheduled for March 7, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. before U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria. The investigation was conducted jointly by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the San Francisco Police Department. Any sentence will reflect the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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