x
Breaking News
More () »

Police: Man who shot Corpus Christi child is member of 'Mexican Mafia,' has extensive criminal history

35-year-old Arnold "Angel" Soto has had a troubled past starting at age 18. Law enforcement has confirmed Soto is a member of the "Mexican Mafia."

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — We now know more about the alleged shooter that seriously injured a six-year-old boy on Shoreline in Corpus Christi over Mother's Day weekend. 

35-year-old Arnold "Angel" Soto has an extensive criminal background having been in and out of prison for everything from assault to murder. 

It's all public record, Soto has had a troubled past starting at age 18.

  • May 2002, he was charged with assault causing bodily injury, but the case was dismissed. 
  • January 2003 followed with burglary of a vehicle, theft and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He continued being charged with crimes from 2006 to 2009. 
  • In 2010, while at a Denny's late one night in Corpus Christi, witnesses testified they saw Soto punching 61-year-old Robert Najar Junior, who died of his injuries. The trial was widely publicized. Soto was sentenced to two years in prison after he was found guilty of a lesser included offense of "criminally negligent homicide."
  • After serving his two year sentence. Soto was back in Corpus Christi where less than six months after being out he was charged with speeding, driving with an expired license and reckless driving. 
  • In 2013, 2014 and 2015 he was charged with everything from criminal trespass, DWI and arson to assaulting a public servant. 

Soto's criminal cases continued to mount from 2017 to this past weekend. He was in court as late as last Tuesday, May 5. He was there for a motion to revoke his probation on an arson charge for failure to pay more than $2,000 in restitution for one of his crimes. Soto paid and was released. 

Law enforcement has confirmed Soto is a member of the "Mexican Mafia." It's believed this past weekend's shooting that seriously injured a six year old child was for some sort of retaliation against others in the car that was riddled with bullets. 

Soto remains in the Nueces County jail on a $200,000 bond. 

For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.

More from 3News on KIIITV.com:

Before You Leave, Check This Out