East Hartford Man Charged in Center Street Shooting Has Case Transferred to Hartford

An East Hartford man charged in the February of the owner of West Side Auto Sales on Center Street had his cased transferred to Hartford Superior Court on Thursday, where he has a prior warrant for drug and weapons charges.

, 30, of 120 Hammer St. 2E, East Hartford, is facing charges of first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal use of a firearm, criminal possession of a pistol or revolver, unlawful discharge of a firearm, second-degree reckless endangerment and threatening stemming from a Feb. 15 shooting at West Side Auto Sales, at 634 Center St.

According to the Manchester Police Department, Gonzalez was one of three men who went to the auto shop at approximately 5:30 p.m. on the night of the incident to speak to the owner about a vehicle one of the men had purchased from him.

Police said there was a $3,000 lien on the vehicle due to unpaid parking tickets, which led to a dispute, and Gonzalez pulling out a gun and shooting the shop owner in the knee. The three men then fled the scene.

Gonzalez turned himself in to Manchester police Feb. 18, was arraigned, and held on a $350,000 bond.

Gonzalez appeared before a judge at the Manchester Superior Court on Center Street Thursday, where his case was transferred to Hartford Superior Court.

According to the state judiciary's website, Gonzalez was charged with possession of narcotics, possession of an illegal weapon in a motor vehicle, possession of a controlled substance within 1,500 feet of a school and the sale of illegal drugs Jan. 29 by Hartford police. He posted $100,000 bond and was released from custody for those offenses, which are still pending.

Gonzalez is next scheduled to appear in court in Hartford on April 5 and remains in custody.

A second man arrested as part of the shooting, Angel Soto, 32, of Vernon Ave. Apt. 205, Hartford, faces charges of being an accessory to first-degree robbery, an accessory to first-degree assault and interfering with a police officer. He is being held on $900,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in court on March 29. Soto has a previous conviction for the sale of narcotics in March of 2005.