Three Additional Defendants Charged in 2024 Chula Vista Cartel-Linked Attempted Killings Involving Teenage Gunmen

Indictment expands case tied to two shootings within hours

Federal prosecutors have charged three additional defendants in connection with two attempted killings in Chula Vista in March 2024 that investigators have described as cartel-linked. The case centers on a pair of attacks carried out within roughly five hours — first in a restaurant parking lot and later at a residence — that left two people wounded and one alleged participant dead.

The newly unsealed indictment names Poly Antunez, Antonio Quinones and Jovanny Enriquez. Prosecutors allege the three men conspired to have a man killed by two teenagers, and that they helped coordinate the effort surrounding both the first and second attack. Quinones and Enriquez were arrested this week by FBI agents, while Antunez was already in custody in a separate federal case in San Diego. The three men made initial appearances in federal court on Thursday.

What investigators say happened in Chula Vista

Authorities allege the two shooters — Andrew Nunez and Johncarlo Quintero — traveled from Wilmington in Los Angeles County to Chula Vista, where the intended target was dining with family at a Chili’s. Prosecutors say Quintero fired one shot that struck the victim in the legs, but was unable to continue firing after the weapon jammed. Investigators also allege Nunez attempted to strike the victim with their vehicle as the pair fled.

Later that night, prosecutors say Nunez and Quintero returned to the target’s residence with 28-year-old Ricardo Sanchez in a second attempt to kill the same person. The target was reportedly at a hospital receiving treatment for injuries from the first shooting, but family members and a friend were at the residence. When the friend opened the front door, prosecutors allege, the shooters opened fire, striking him in the hand, arm and face. The friend returned fire, killing Sanchez.

How the new charges fit into a broader allegation

Prosecutors have described Antunez, Quinones and Enriquez as key points of contact linking the teenage gunmen with alleged cartel figures and prison-gang intermediaries. Authorities also allege the attempted killing arose from a conflict in Tijuana that led to retaliatory violence and a stolen drug load, prompting orders to target individuals believed responsible — including the Chula Vista victim.

• Two separate shootings are alleged: one at a public parking lot and one at a residence later the same night.
• Two victims survived gunshot wounds; a third man, described as an accomplice in the second attempt, was killed when a victim returned fire.
• Three newly charged defendants are accused of coordinating the attempted killing and regrouping the shooters between attacks.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Nunez and Quintero pleaded guilty in December to federal charges connected to the 2024 attacks and are scheduled to be sentenced next month, on March 20, 2026.