VISTA — A 49-year-old man arrested for the recent murder of a boxing trainer has only been charged with making criminal threats toward the victim, prosecutors said.
Mark Anthony Diaz was arrested April 7 in his Carlsbad home for an alleged ambush the previous day that killed 52-year-old Hector Gil and wounded two other men.
However, at his arraignment hearing April 12, Deputy District Attorney Patrick Espinoza only filed one felony count of making criminal threats toward Gil on April 2.
Initially, authorities alleged Diaz walked into Pacific Coast Boxing around 9 p.m. April 6 and opened fire killing Gil, a volunteer boxing trainer, and wounding Peter Moreno, 56, and 21-year-old Ricardo Gutierrez.
Following the brief hearing, which was continued to April 19, Espinoza said authorities are still investigating whether Diaz played a role in the shooting.
“If there are any further decisions to be made we’ll make the decisions once the investigation is complete,” Espinoza said.
Espinoza would not elaborate on the threat Diaz allegedly made, only saying that it was the type of threat that could result in serious injury or death.
A handful of family and friends of Diaz attended the hearing at the Vista court; however, they declined to comment on case.
Diaz’s attorney, Dan Rodriguez, said the hearing was continued to sort out the details of the case. He also said if no additional charges are added to his client’s criminal complaint that he would argue to have Diaz’s bail reduced. Diaz remains in custody on $1 million bail.
The boxing club’s owner, Ari Soltani, was granted a temporary restring order against Diaz in February, according to court documents. Soltani said Diaz had been a volunteer at Pacific Coast Boxing, a nonprofit for at-risk youth, but he had problems with the defendant.
He said Diaz changed the locks of the business and removed his signs replacing them with banners reading “Club Diaz,” according to court records. Soltani also said Diaz charged patrons to use the facility without his permission and kept the money they paid in fees. Additionally, he said Diaz also threatened other volunteers and patrons. When Soltani asked Diaz to leave the premises in February, he said the defendant made verbal threats toward him.
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