Anthony Marin Gonzalez, 17, waived his preliminary hearing after prosecutors say he and another teenager fired at people in a vehicle before fleeing police and crashing hours later
WEST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, PA – A 17-year-old accused of unleashing gunfire at a group in a Lancaster County neighborhood before taking off in a vehicle, leading police on a county-wide chase and fleeing after a crash will face the charges in county court after waiving his preliminary hearing.
Anthony Marin Gonzalez, who has no fixed address, waived the hearing before Judge Miles Bixler on Aug. 28.
Gonzalez and his 16-year-old co-defendant, Emilio Medina-Aponte, are accused of opening fire on victims in the 1700 block of Columbia Avenue in West Hempfield Township in March.
Officers responding to the shooting found dozens of spent shell casings from two different caliber weapons along with unspent live rounds.
Surveillance footage allegedly showed Gonzalez and Medina-Aponte arriving in the area and searching for the victims before the shooting.
At one point, the teenagers allegedly entered a nearby restaurant approximately 1,000 feet from where the gunfire later erupted.
At least one witness reported seeing the teens appearing to hold weapons beneath their sweatshirts and talking about getting someone.
Residential surveillance footage allegedly captured Gonzalez and Medina-Aponte firing at the victims after they arrived in a vehicle several minutes later.
The victims drove away while the teenagers continued firing at them, according to the prosecution’s account.
Investigators say the teens then attempted to flee but had trouble getting into their own vehicle, smashing a side window to gain access.
Later surveillance footage allegedly showed Gonzalez vacuuming broken glass from the vehicle at a car wash.
About 30 minutes after the shooting, a 911 caller reported a suspicious vehicle with a broken side window occupied by two people wearing ski-style masks.
Roughly two hours after the gunfire, Northwest Regional Police officers spotted the vehicle in the 1600 block of South Market Street in Mount Joy Township and attempted a traffic stop.
The vehicle allegedly sped away instead.
A pursuit followed through Lancaster County before the vehicle crashed near a business in the 2900 block of Columbia Avenue in East Hempfield Township.
Gonzalez and Medina-Aponte allegedly abandoned the crashed vehicle and ran into a nearby neighborhood.
Investigators traced the vehicle registration provided by a 911 caller to an address in West Donegal Township.
The owner told police Gonzalez had taken the vehicle and called her around the time of the pursuit to apologize, according to the case account.
Gonzalez faces two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault and one count each of recklessly endangering another person and possession of a firearm by a minor.
He also faces fleeing or attempting to elude an officer and conspiracy to commit fleeing or attempting to elude an officer.
Both Gonzalez and Medina-Aponte remain at the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center in lieu of $150,000 bail.
West Hempfield Township Police Officer Ryan McKernan filed the charges. Assistant District Attorney Andrew Harbaugh is prosecuting the case.
The charges are accusations. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Key Points
- Anthony Marin Gonzalez, 17, waived his preliminary hearing on charges stemming from a March shooting and subsequent police pursuit in Lancaster County.
- Prosecutors allege Gonzalez and 16-year-old Emilio Medina-Aponte fired at people fleeing in a vehicle before the teens later led police on a pursuit that ended in a crash.
- Both teenagers remain at the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center in lieu of $150,000 bail.