Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007

Modesto teen sentenced in gang assault

A Modesto teenager has been sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison after a jury found him guilty of a gang- related assault on a young man who was playing soccer outside his west Modesto home.

According to a statement from the Stanislaus County district attorney's office, Brian Brummett was a member of the Westside Boyz, a Norteño street gang whose members wear red.

Authorities said Brummett, 18, was wearing a red jersey May 9, when he approached another young man who was dressed in a blue shirt and blue soccer shoes. Brummett issued a gang challenge to the other man, calling him a "scrap," a deroga- tory term used for Sureño gang members, who wear blue.

Brummett then pulled a gun, but the altercation was cut short when the victim's cousin, an off-duty Tracy police detective, arrived. The detective chased Brummett as he ran down a nearby alley, and Brummett fired a shot in the detective's direction.

Brummett was caught a short time later, wearing different clothing.

After a four-day trial in September, a jury found Brummett guilty Oct. 15 of assault with a deadly weapon, personal use of a gun, brandishing a weapon for the benefit of a criminal street gang and participating in a Norteño street gang.

He must serve 85 percent of the time, or nearly 10 years, before he can be eligible for parole.