Skip to main content

Jury Convicts Bay Area Man for 2023 Crime Spree Involving Shooting and Multiple Carjackings

 

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on March 18

that on March 14, 2025, a jury found 37-year-old Tele Matangi of Pittsburg, guilty of multiple charges

arising from a daylong crime spree in September of 2023. Matangi was convicted of carjacking,

attempted carjacking, residential burglary, first-degree robbery, shooting at an occupied motor

vehicle, being a violent felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, possession of a controlled

substance with a firearm, and hit and run. The jury also found true that Matangi personally used a

firearm during the commission of many of these offenses. On March 18, 2025, Judge Jennifer

O’Keefe ruled that Matangi had suffered 2 prior “strike” convictions within the meaning of

California’s Three Strikes Law.

On September 18, 2023, Matangi was driving in a Gonzales High School Parking lot when he crashed

through a locked gate near the stadium, damaging it and he abandoned his vehicle near the area of

Gonzales High. Matangi then carjacked a nearby driver at gunpoint, driving the stolen vehicle

northbound to Highway 156 near its intersection with Highway 101 in the Prunedale area.

Approximately 40 minutes later, Matangi caused a collision by turning into oncoming traffic from

Highway 101 southbound traffic’s off-ramp into the westbound lanes of Highway 156.

After crashing into a vehicle on Highway 156, Matangi exited the stolen vehicle and fired multiple

shots at a good Samaritan who stopped near the collision site to help everyone involved. One of

Matangi’s shots struck the good Samaritan’s car. Matangi then fled on foot to a nearby Park and

Ride parking lot where he approached a man sitting in his vehicle. Matangi pointed a firearm at the

man and attempted to carjack him, but he could not get the vehicle to start.

Matangi then fled on foot across the street and broke into a home by ripping the window screen and

climbing through the window. Once inside, Matangi pointed his firearm at a resident of the home

and stole the resident’s car keys at gunpoint. Matangi then fled with the vehicle into the San Benito

County portion of Aromas.

While in Aromas, Matangi abandoned the vehicle and stole a golf cart. He then abandoned the golf

cart at a nearby property and hid in a separate Aromas resident’s storage unit. The homeowners

found Matangi hiding in their storage unit and told him to leave. Soon after, a San Benito County

Sheriff’s deputy contacted Matangi while Matangi was walking southbound on Carpenteria Road.

Soon after the contact, while the San Benito County deputy followed Matangi on Carpenteria Rd., Matangi brandished a firearm at the deputy. Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies responded shortly thereafter and assisted the San Benito deputy in arresting Matangi.

At the time of his arrest, Matangi was in possession of a .40-caliber semiautomatic firearm, multiple

magazines with live ammunition, a small baggie of methamphetamine, and the keys to the last

stolen car. Due to prior violent felony convictions for robbery and carjacking, he was prohibited

from possessing firearms.

Judge O’Keefe will sentence Matangi on May 29, 2025. Due to his prior strike convictions, Matangi

faces a possible sentence of more than 100 years to life in prison.

The case was primarily investigated by Monterey County Sheriff’s Office Detective Arras Wilson. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fatal 3 Vehicle Accident Involving Wrong Way Driver on Highway 101 Outside of King City on January 10

  A fatal multi-vehicle collision happened on Saturday night, January 10 at 9:51 p.m. on northbound Highway 101 outside of King City. According to the King City CHP a 2016 Toyota Tacoma driven by 65-year-old Paul Lee Cooper of Otis, Oregon was heading the wrong way going southbound in the northbound lanes south of Jolon Road, while a 2006 Toyota Corolla driven by 33-year-old Dinora Maribel Gomez of Salinas was heading northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road in the #1 lane and a Honda Accord driven by 36-year-old Ignacio Sangerman of King City was also traveling northbound on Highway 101 south of Jolon Road but was in the #2 lane. Due to Cooper's level of impairment his vehicle went the wrong way on Highway 101 going directly into the path of Gomez' vehicle causing the rear of her car to crash with the front of the vehicle driven by Sangerman. Cooper was arrested, sustaining major injuries and was transported to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas where as of January 12 is...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monterey County DA Releases Preliminary Information Concerning an Officer Involved Shooting Incident that Occurred Outside of Soledad on December 16

  SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni on December 19 released preliminary information concerning the officer involved shooting (OIS) which occurred at about 1:20 a.m. outside the city of Soledad on December 16, 2025. Just before 1:00 a.m., Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy Carlos Pina, who has been a peace officer for 10 years all with MCSO, and Deputy Blain Councilman, each in separate patrol cars, were dispatched to 32097 McCoy Road. A resident at the farm labor camp reported a suspicious individual with a handgun whose white Honda 4 door sedan was parked in space 18 at the complex. Before parking there, the suspect drove around and around, stopped in front of the reporting party’s (RP’s) truck, and got out. The RP could hear music. Deputy Pina drove the lead patrol car and arrived just after 1:20 a.m. His dashcam video, which does not record sound but which he installed on his own and at his own expense, depicts the following: He drove down ...
Post a Comment
Read more

King City City Council Announces Selection of José Arreola as New City Manager

  January 7, 2025-Following an extensive recruitment process, José Arreola has been selected by the King City City Council to be its next City Manager. Arreola will replace Steve Adams, who is retiring after serving in the position for the past 10 years. Arreola was selected from 31 applicants and 8 finalists for the position. The King City City Council will formally consider the proposed city manager contract at its meeting on Tuesday night, January 13. Arreola's first day on the job is scheduled to be February 23.    José Arreola has a distinguished career of serving the community with a particular commitment to youth. He has worked for the City of Salinas for 12 years as their Community Safety Program Manager, Community Safety Administrator and Assistant to the City Manager. Among other responsibilities, Arreola has led several programs to eliminate gang violence which aligns well with the City of King’s efforts and priorities. Prior to that, Arreola worked as an Educa...
Post a Comment
Read more