Moses Lake drive-by was allegedly gang retaliation

EPHRATA — A drive-by shooting in Moses Lake appears to be gang retaliation, where a defendant reportedly said he was trying to scare opposing gang members.

Three Moses Lake men appeared in Grant County Superior Court facing various charges in connection with the shooting on Washington Street Saturday morning. The drive-by shooting injured an innocent 22 year-old Moses Lake woman when a bullet grazed her cheek.

Erik C. Olivarez, 22, is charged with attempted murder in the first degree and drive-by shooting. Grant County Superior Court Judge John Antosz ordered him held on $100,000 bail.

Saul Olivarez, 20, is charged with attempted murder in the first degree, drive-by shooting, riot and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree. Antosz set his bail at $350,000.

Antonio Ramirez, 18, Moses Lake, was charged with malicious mischief in the second degree in connection with the incident. Antosz ordered him held on $7,500.

On Saturday, a black Dodge pickup truck was seen leaving the area of a Washington Street residence, where windows were broken on a parked vehicle, ?according to court records.

Neighbor Sherrie Jeff was walking toward the damaged vehicle when the Dodge returned to Washington street. The front passenger of the pickup truck reportedly fired four to six shots toward the vehicle and Jeff, when one shot grazed her face, according to a Moses Lake police report.

Jeff is ot a gang member nor the target of the attack.

Another neighbor was on the phone speaking with a 9-1-1 dispatcher, when the shots were fired.

As the police officer was responding to the incident, he spotted a dark-colored Dodge four-door pickup truck driving on the wrong side of Central Avenue. After following it, the officer stopped the vehicle, according to the police report.

Six people were inside the truck. They got out and started walking toward a house, when the officer ordered them to lay on the ground. A patrol car video camera reportedly filmed Saul Olivarez getting out of the passenger’s side of the truck, taking off a pair of gloves, and sticking something into his pants, according to the police report.

All the people in the truck were either gang members or affiliated with gangs, according to Moses Lake police.

A gun was located a short distance from where the truck was stopped.

When police questioned Erik Olivarez, he reportedly admitted to driving the truck, but denied being the one who fired the gun, according to the police report.

Saul Olivarez allegedly admitted shooting the gun, stating he wanted revenge on a rival gang. He reportedly believed the targeted people living on Washington Street are connected to a gang responsible for an alleged drive-by shooting, where his brother was present, and a fight he had with two gang members in front of a store in Moses Lake.

He reportedly told the police he wanted to intimidate one of the gang members and aimed the gun high, shooting two shots at the people and two shots into the air, before his brother drove them away from Washington Street.

All three men were ordered not to contact any witnesses or victims of the crime, or go within 300 yards of the victims’ residences.