Former prep soccer star arrested for Arroyo Grande shooting

March 3, 2021

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

Nearly five months after a gunman shot a person in the parking lot of an Arroyo Grande McDonald’s, police announced the arrest of the alleged shooter, who is a former local high school soccer star.

At approximately 3:40 p.m. on Nov. 7, Hosanna David Cassidy allegedly shot a victim in the McDonald’s parking lot on Grand Avenue. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from a non-life threatening bullet wound, but were unable to locate the shooter at the time.

Through their investigation, detectives identified Cassidy as the suspect, the Arroyo Grande Police Department, police said. A judge then issued an arrest warrant for Cassidy.

On Friday, authorities booked Cassidy in San Luis Obispo County Jail for the outstanding warrant and on charges including assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a firearm. 

The county sheriff’s office website shows Cassidy remains in jail on a total of 12 charges with his bail set at $425,000. In addition to assault with a deadly weapon and grand theft of a firearm, some of the charges Cassidy is facing are possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm, bringing a controlled substance to jail, a combined alcohol and drugs DUI and hit and run causing property damage. 

As a teenager, Cassidy was a soccer star at Arroyo Grande High School. According to prior media reports, Cassidy was adopted from Ethiopia as a child by David Cassidy, who previously coached girls volleyball at Nipomo High School.