Driver shot in back on county road undergoes surgery

A man struck in the back when he was fired upon while driving on a Stanislaus County road near Keyes on Wednesday night underwent surgery and is expected to survive, the Sheriff’s Department reported Thursday morning.

The victim, 21-year-old Alejandro Haro Pinonez of Crows Landing, was driving a four-door sedan west on East Keyes Road about 9:35 p.m. when someone fired at him several times, Sgt. Anthony Bejaran said at the scene.

The shooting apparently occurred near Faith Home Road, not far from Highway 99, but Haro Pinonez continued about four miles west before he called 911 near Crows Landing Road, Sgt. Jon McQueary said Thursday morning.

The victim described the shooter as a Latino male adult in a white sport utility vehicle. He said he did not know who the assailant was or why he was shot, McQueary said.

The area is fairly rural, so it wasn’t known if there were many witnesses available, although law enforcement on scene were talking to a couple of people.

Last month, westsideconnect.com reported that Haro Pinonez was one of two people arrested July 2 by Newman police on weapons-related felony charges. Officers responding to a July 1 report of shots being fired into the air from a vehicle on Upper Road identified him as a suspect and the next day stopped a vehicle he was driving. A loaded handgun was found in the vehicle, police said.

Newman police confirmed Thursday that Haro Pinonez was arrested on felony charges of discharging a firearm, conspiracy, carrying a concealed firearm while participating in criminal street gang activity and carrying a loaded firearm while participating in criminal street gang activity.

This story was originally published August 6, 2015 at 8:52 AM with the headline "Driver shot in back on county road undergoes surgery."