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71 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, June 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 8, 2004 Police charge man in Medford stabbing By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune Police on Monday arrested a reputed California gang member known as "The Shadow" on assault charges stemming from a May 16 stabbing of a Medford man near the Black Bird Shopping Center, authorities said. Gustavo Delariva-Torres, 25, of the 1800 block of Crater Lake Avenue, Medford, was taken into custody on charges of first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault in connection with the stabbing of 22-year-old Jason Torres, according to the Medford Police Department. Torres was stabbed in his arm and torso after two attackers jumped out of a Ford Aerostar van at about 3:15 p.m. May 16 on Western Avenue near West Main Street, police said. Two other men were walking with Torres at the time, and the second suspect assaulted one of those men, who was not seriously hurt, police said. The second attacker was arrested that night but provided little information on the stabber, Medford police said. Police believed the attack was not a stranger-to-stranger crime but began their case with no leads and little information, authorities said. Advertisement In the ensuing three weeks, they parlayed information on his nickname into eventually identifying Delariva-Torres by name, discovering the van last week hidden in an east Medford garage. It culminated Monday when police found "The Shadow" working as a landscaper in Central Point, Medford police Lt. Tim George said. "I’m ecstatic. We’re all ecstatic," George said. "We’ve worn out a lot of shoe leather on this case." Delariva-Torres was lodged at the Jackson County Jail, where he was being held Monday on $2 million bail pending an arraignment. Delariva-Torres hails from the San Diego area, where police said he claims affiliation to the Logan Heights street gang, George said. He has lived in the Medford area at least six months, George said. If convicted on a first-degree assault charge, Delariva-Torres faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 7½ years in prison under Oregon’s Measure 11 sentencing guidelines. Police have yet to establish a motive for the attack, George said. The suspect and victim were not related, he added. The second suspect, 19-year-old Jonathan Cureno of Ashland, remains in the Jackson County Jail facing conspiracy to commit first-degree assault, third-degree assault and fourth-degree assault. His bail remains at $100,000. Even after Cureno’s arrest less than 10 hours after the attack, police had little to go on toward solving the crime, George said. After learning of the stabber’s nickname, they checked with authorities in San Diego and discovered Delariva-Torres matched the attacker’s description, George said. Acting on information from an informant involving a possible associate of "The Shadow," police June 1 went to a house on the 1300 block of Serenity Drive in Medford. There, they found the Ford van parked in the garage, then seized and searched it, police said. Detectives Monday morning discovered Delariva-Torres working in Central Point and took him to the Medford Police Department, where he was arrested after a 1:30 p.m. interview, George said. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times