Man Who Shot At Girlfriend's Car, Fled With Son Arrested: Cops

WATSONVILLE, CA — A Watsonville man was arrested this morning after allegedly following his ex-girlfriend's vehicle and shooting at it, according to the Watsonville Police Department. Police said that at 12:56 a.m., a shooting was reported in the area of East Riverside Drive and Marchant Street. Mario Ceja, 31, was allegedly following the victim's vehicle as she drove around the city before the shooting.

According to police, the 27-year-old victim, also from Watsonville, reported that Ceja was the father of her four-year-old son and alleged that he had custody of the child. She did not know whether the child
was in Ceja's vehicle when he shot at her. Watsonville officers responded to Ceja's home and found his car
parked outside. They heard a man's voice and a child's voice inside of the residence, according to police.

Due to the severity of the offense and the child's safety being at risk, police called in their Special Response Team to safely take Ceja into custody, police said. An on-call judge issued Watsonville police a felony arrest warrant for the offenses of attempted murder and brandishing a firearm along with a search warrant for his home for evidence that could link him to the offenses, according to police.

The response team arrived early in the morning and established surveillance around the Ceja's home, allowing patrol officers to clear the area. At approximately 9:45 a.m., Ceja walked out of his home alone and
toward his car. Officers took Ceja into custody without incident.

Response team members entered Ceja's home and found the child safe and asleep. He was placed back into his mother's care, police said. Ceja was booked into the Santa Cruz County Jail with bail set at $500,000. Anyone with further information on the case is asked to call Watsonville police investigators at (831) 768-3350 or the crime tip line at (831) 768-3544.

By Bay City News

Photo courtesy Renee Schiavone/ Patch