Teen charged with Pismo Beach murder

August 3, 2023

By KAREN VELIE

The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office charged a 15-year-old male in July for homicide and for associating with a criminal street gang.after he allegedly shot and killed a Fresno man in Pismo Beach in the pier promenade area during an altercation with strangers last February.

Shortly before midnight on Feb. 18, four Hispanic men and several women confronted Gustavo Aquino, 40, claiming he had a possible gang affiliation. During the verbal argument, the four Hispanic men tried to engage the victim and his friends in a physical fight.

Armed with a firearm, the 15-year-old then joined the group and confronting the victim. The 15-year-old shot Aquino multiple times from a close distance.

The suspects then fled the scene in an older model Chevy Silverado.

The SLO County District Attorney’s Office charged the 15-year-old with homicide and gang affiliation. He is being held without bail.

Another participant in the altercation, 19-year-old Daniel Santillana, is facing charges of assault with a deadly weapon and association with a street gang. He remains in jail with his bail set at $90,000. The driver, 19-year-old Anthony Hernandez, is charged with accessory to the commission of a felony. His bail is set at $20,000.

This was the first shooting-related homicide in Pismo Beach since March of 2006, when an armed man entered the Denny’s restaurant on Five Cities Drive and murdered two victims before taking his own life.