On the evening of April 22, 2017, Santiago Vasquez, a 21-year-old resident of Hayward, California, was attending a birthday party at College Heights Park. The celebration turned tragic when Vasquez was struck by multiple rounds of gunfire around 8 p.m. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to his injuries shortly after. The incident shocked the local community and prompted an intensive investigation by the Hayward Police Department, with assistance from the Alameda County
Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service.
The investigation led to the arrests of three men in connection with Vasquez's murder. Jose Esquivel, 24, and Carlos Guevara, 24, were charged with felony murder and various weapons charges. Esquivel was apprehended in Dublin on October 3, 2018, while Guevara was arrested in San Leandro on September 26, 2018. Both men were held without bail. A third suspect, Miguel Mata, 25, faced charges of armed robbery, accessory to commit murder, and other weapons-related offenses. Mata, who was arrested in San Lorenzo on October 9, 2018, was held on $270,000 bail.
The arrests were the result of a thorough investigation by the Hayward Police Department's criminal investigations bureau and patrol division. The authorities expressed gratitude for the support provided by the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Marshals Service. The suspects were scheduled for pre-trial hearings on November 15, 2018, at Dublin’s East County Hall of Justice. The case highlighted the collaborative efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies in bringing those responsible for Vasquez's death to justice.
