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Ex-San Diego TV Reporter Charged in Palomar Mountain Shootings Tied to Ethnicity Questions

Prosecutors are seeking hate-crime enhancements that could bring stiffer penalties.

Overview

  • Ricardo Berron, a former Univision and Telemundo reporter, was arrested at San Diego International Airport and charged with two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
  • Detectives say both Palomar Mountain encounters began with the assailant asking about the victims’ ethnicity before shots were fired.
  • Joseph Valentino says a bullet tore through his arm as he sat in his car at the overlook, and doctors later saved his arm.
  • The sheriff’s office says a separate shot in a later case went through a driver’s-side window while the man inside was not hurt.
  • Investigators report seizing a 9mm handgun at Berron’s home that they believe is tied to at least one attack, and he is free on bail as he and his wife deny the allegations.