Man pleads to robbing Santa Cruz High student, firing gun outside party

Brandon Garcia pleaded no contest to felony robbery and a misdemeanor charge of participating in a criminal street gang. According to prosecutors, Garcia and another man pulled up in a car next to a 16-year-old Santa Cruz High School student on Maple near Chestnut Street on March 6 and yelled gang slogans at him. They then brandished a gun and robbed him. Garcia's co-defendant in that case, Alejandro Jimenez, pleaded no contest to felony robbery and misdemeanor participation in a criminal street gang. He was sentenced to a year in jail and three years of probation. Both men were ordered to stay away from the victim. Garcia also pleaded no contest to unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with an incident at a party in Soquel in May 2011. Prosecutors said he and another man, Joel Ruiz, crashed a party, fired a gun and pistol-whipped a party guest. Ruiz was also accused of striking a woman in the face. Ruiz pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and participation in a criminal street gang. He was ordered to 180 days in jail and three years of formal probation. Garcia will be sentenced on his plea on June 26. He's expected to receive five years in state prison, followed by probation.