A suspected carjacker in Otay Mesa was ordered Friday to stand trial on four counts of carjacking.
Seven witnesses testified in the preliminary hearing of Daniel Ryan Perez, 33, that was conducted by San Diego Superior Court Judge Fred Link.
All four victims were among the witnesses in the Sept. 21 incident in which Perez allegedly tried to carjack two vehicles in which there were two people in each car.
Some of the victims thought Perez was armed as he reached for his waistband as if he had a gun.
It started when a man 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 allegedly drove off.
The car thief abandoned the Jetta at Palm Avenue and Beyer Boulevard and took a Hyundai vehicle in which the driver was pulled out of the car. A passenger also left the vehicle.
Perez drove off, but the Hyundai crashed into the back of a sports utility vehicle at the Sweetwater off-ramp from north Interstate 805.
Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang said the maximum sentence Perez faces is 37 years in prison if he is convicted of all four counts. His criminal record might contribute to a lengthy sentence.
Perez was on parole at the time of the incidents. Court records say he was convicted of assault in Chula Vista Superior Court in 2013. He also has prior convictions for grand theft and drug charges.
Link ordered Perez to next appear in court on Feb. 27 to set a trial date. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in jail on $300,000 bail.
Criminal proceedings were suspended Nov. 28 after his attorney thought he might not be mentally competent to stand trial, but another judge ruled Jan. 29 that Perez was mentally competent.
