Suspect in 2011 murder at Modesto taco truck arrested trying to reenter country
A man who has been wanted for several years in connection with a 2011 murder at a Modesto taco truck was caught trying to reenter the country from Mexico.
Tomas Solorio Mendoza, 30, has been wanted since 2017 for the shooting death of 22-year-old Samuel Gallardo, who was gunned down Nov. 26, 2011, at a taco truck in front of the El Paraiso bar on Crows Landing Road.
Stanislaus County sheriff’s Sgt. Luke Schwartz said Solorio Mendoza was arrested in Yuma County, Arizona. Arrest records show he was arrested in Arizona on May 11 and extradited back to Stanislaus County on Thursday.
He is being held without bail on charges of murder, assault likely to produce great bodily injury and participating in a criminal street gang.
Authorities say Gallardo was on a date with his girlfriend and another couple the night of the shooting.
The couples had just sat down at one of the picnic benches when a car full of men pulled into the parking lot, according to Bee archives. At least four men got out of the car and began fighting with Gallardo. Within minutes, he was shot. The suspects got back into the vehicle and drove away.
Solorio Mendoza and three others were identified as suspects in Gallardo’s murder in June 2017.
Authorities arrested Jorge Delatorre then and issued warrants for Solorio and two others.
One of the suspects was arrested a month later but released when the District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges for lack of evidence.
Tony Aurelio Gutierrez Macias, 28, was arrested in Mexico in March 2020 and extradited back to Stanislaus County. His case is still pending.
According to court records, Delatorre in 2018 pleaded no contest to assault likely to produce great bodily injury and participating in a criminal street gang. The murder charge was dismissed and Delatorre was released from jail on his own recognizance. Since then, his sentencing has been postponed multiple times.
Asked whether Delatorre’s plea was part of a deal, District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Goold said in an email, “If the case is still pending, even on other co-defendants, we’re not going to be making any statements about it.”
Delatorre’s attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Solorio Mendoza appeared in court on Friday afternoon but his arraignment was continued to allow him time to hire an attorney.
Schwartz said, “There is still an ongoing active investigation and there are still people of interest.”
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Investigator Jesse Tover at 209-525-7080.
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
