A suspected Otay Mesa carjacker has pleaded guilty to carjacking four people in two cars, one of which crashed into a sport utility vehicle.
Daniel Ryan Perez, 33, could receive a maximum of 37 years in state prison as the incidents occurred while he was on parole from state prison, said Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Joseph Brannigan set sentencing for June 4. Perez remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility on $300,000 bail.
Perez got into a Volkswagen Jetta on Sept. 21, 2017 around 10:25 p.m. at the trolley station on Iris Avenue near Beyer Boulevard. A man and woman in the car immediately got out and Perez drove off with their car.
Perez abandoned the Jetta at Palm Avenue and Beyer Boulevard and took a Hyundai vehicle after Perez pulled the driver out of his car. A passenger in the car then fled the vehicle.
Perez drove off, but he crashed the Hyundai into the back of a sports utility vehicle at the Sweetwater off-ramp from north Interstate 805. He was injured, and was arrested at a hospital.
Some of the victims thought Perez was armed because he reached for his waistband as if he had a gun.
Perez’s case was assigned to Brannigan’s department for trial on April 18, and he decided to plead guilty to all charges just before jury selection was about to start.
He was convicted of assault in Chula Vista Superior Court in 2013. He also has prior convictions for grand theft and drug charges. He was charged with a misdemeanor offense of being under the influence of methamphetamine about a week before the carjackings, according to court records.
