Alameda County prosecutors have dismissed felony charges against Hermelindo Ramos-Ramos, the man accused of shooting at the Oakland home and car of Mario Juarez. Juarez is the federal government's star witness against former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. Bay Area News Group found the dismissal in court records.
Why the case was dropped
Deputy District Attorney Marisa Tagliareni wrote in a three-page filing in May that two statements Juarez gave about the shooting, one to Oakland police and one to the FBI three months later, contained "materially inconsistent information." Prosecutors said they learned of the conflict only after it came out in the federal case. "In light of the material inconsistencies in (Juarez's) statement regarding the event and absence of any physical evidence that would corroborate (his) statement, the People cannot sustain their burden beyond a reasonable doubt," she wrote.
Two versions of June 9, 2024
Juarez told police the June 9, 2024 shooting was an assassination attempt, and investigators initially treated it as attempted murder. Ramos-Ramos's alleged driver, Jonathan Herbert Rivera, later told police that Ramos-Ramos was looking through the trunk of Juarez's parked car when someone shot at him. Rivera said the two fled and then returned to fire at the car, according to court records cited by BANG. In September 2024 Juarez admitted he fired first, but said he did so because Ramos-Ramos pointed a gun at him.
In a March 2025 interview with ABC7 News, Ramos-Ramos, then 24, gave his own account of the encounter. He had been charged with shooting at an inhabited dwelling and at an unoccupied vehicle. ABC7 reported then that Juarez had confirmed firing first. The Duongs, owners of California Waste Solutions and co-defendants in the Thao case, have denied any involvement.
Why it matters for the Thao trial
Defense lawyers in the federal trial of Thao, her partner Andre Jones and David and Andy Duong have spent the trial attacking Juarez's credibility. Andy Duong's lawyer, Erik Babcock, wrote in a filing that "in truth the shooting was related, at most, to a random botched car theft." Juarez pleaded guilty to conspiracy in December 2024 and was expected to testify this week. For earlier coverage, see the Oct. 28 trial testimony and the FBI agent's cross-examination.