Crime & Safety

Gang Member Gets 15 Years to Life in Prison for Killing Man Outside of Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub and Grill

Juan Rocha, 21, was convicted in August of second-degree murder in the March 25, 2011, death of Devin Allen.

A gang member was sentenced today to 15 years to life in prison for his involvement in the racially motivated stabbing death of a 27-year-old man outside a Carlsbad bar last year.

Juan Rocha, 21, was convicted in August of second-degree murder in the March 25, 2011, death of Devin Allen.

Police said Rocha and a second man – identified as Pedro Avalos – confronted Allen and a friend about 10:30 p.m. as they walked to their car near Hensley's Flying Elephant Pub and Grill (the restaurant has since been renamed Flying Elephant Pub and Grill).

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Investigators said the victim had no gang ties, but was targeted because he was black in a neighborhood claimed by a Latino street gang.

According to police, Rocha asked Allen if he had a lighter, then asked if Allen and his friend knew who he was and that they were in gang territory. Either Rocha or Avalos – who remains at large – stabbed Allen once in the stomach and fled, police said.

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–City News Service


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