Accused in Silver Lake Pizza Man Shooting Pleads Not Guilty

Jose Beltran pleaded “not guilty” Wednesday to charges related to the shooting death of El Chavo and Pizza Garage employee Juan David Vasquez Loma on Aug. 7.

Beltran appeared in Department 30 of the L.A. Criminal Courts with his attorney just after 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Beltran had been charged Monday with one count each of murder and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle.

Case Now Considered Gang-Related

City News Service and others report that the criminal complaint includes allegations that the crimes were committed “with the specific intent to promote, further and assist criminal conduct by gang members.”

At a press conference Tuesday  investigators called Beltran an “associate member” of the La Mirada Locos, a Silver Lake and Echo Park area gang.

The case had originally described the incident as a possible case of “road rage.”

Now, investigators believe that Beltran may have confused a hand wave by Vasquez Loma with a gang sign at some point during the over half-mile distance they followed each other in vehicles through the Silver Lake hills before the shooting.

Suspect Returns to Court Sept. 15

Beltran was ordered to return to court Sept. 15.

Vasquez Loma was declared brain-dead soon after the shooting and was taken off life support about a week afterwards.

Read more Patch coverage of this dramatic story here: