In the late hours of a September evening in Hammond, Indiana, Charles Berrios Sr., a 50-year-old man, found himself in the midst of a violent street altercation that would tragically end his life. On September 30, 2017, Berrios was driving when he noticed a car in pursuit of another vehicle carrying a member of his family. In an attempt to intervene and block the pursuing car, he was fatally shot in the head.
Berrios was a mechanic for the city of Hammond.
The man responsible for the shooting was identified as Manuel Diaz, a member of the Latin Dragon Nation street gang. According to court documents, Diaz was in a vehicle with two other gang members, chasing the other car when Berrios tried to interfere. As Diaz drove past Berrios's vehicle, he fired the fatal shot. At the time of the incident, Diaz was a known member of the Chicago-based gang, which was reportedly trying to expand its influence into East Chicago and Hammond.
Following an investigation, Manuel Diaz was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the death of Charles Berrios Sr. In June 2020, Diaz, then 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in racketeering activity as a member of the Latin Dragon Nation street gang. He was subsequently sentenced to 420 months in prison for his role in the racketeering conspiracy, which included the murder of Berrios. Court records also indicated that Berrios himself had been associated with a gang at an earlier point in his life. He was a father to thirteen children.
