Mario Juarez appears in a video produced by the Vietnamese American Business Association about the work of Evolution Homes. Juarez is listed as the founder of the homebuilding company. (YouTube)
OAKLAND — It had all the elements of a targeted attack.
Authorities said at least three suspects in cars with hidden or stolen license plates scouted the home of Mario Juarez, a two-time candidate for East Oakland City Council, then pulled up behind his parked Chevrolet Suburban, vandalized the car and opened fire when Juarez got out to investigate.
The would-be assassin fired an estimated nine times at Juarez, a prominent political activist and local businessman. Juarez fell to the ground and the assassin fired four shots from a registered .40-caliber Glock handgun. The bullets traveled past Juarez’s home, striking him. The suspect fled, and Juarez called 911, telling responding officers he believed the attempted assassination of Juarez was “retaliation” for his involvement in a criminal investigation. Juarez declined to provide details, according to authorities and police reports.
In the month since the June 9 shooting, Juarez has become the center of an ongoing criminal investigation that led to a series of FBI raids on June 20. Federal agents searched the homes of Mayor Shen Thao and his partner, Andre Jones, as well as the residences of Oakland businessman David Duong and his son, Andy Duong.
A federal grand jury has been convened to consider possible criminal charges and has ordered the city of Oakland to preserve all records relating to the recycling company and the Duong family, known for their political dealings and for owning the recycling company California Waste Solutions Inc. City officials have also been directed to preserve and turn over any correspondence relating to Jones and schedules for both Jones and Thao.
Juarez is a longtime business owner who has been involved in local politics for decades. His many business ventures include debt collection, entertainment, real estate, clean energy and, more recently, Evolution Homes LLC, a company that sells shipping containers, which was founded by Juarez and Duong. The homebuilding company is also named in a federal subpoena sent to the City of Oakland dated June 26, which names Juarez and other representatives and employees.
Juarez has also been facing criminal charges since January, when he was accused by Alameda County prosecutors of bouncing checks totaling $53,600 in 120,000 mailers targeting Thao’s chief rival, Lauren Taylor, and others during the 2022 mayoral election.
By the time the gunman showed up at Juarez’s home on June 9, Oakland police had already begun investigating a feud between Juarez and the Duong family that had reportedly escalated into violence and death threats.
Andy Duong told police that Juarez threatened him and his family on May 3, claiming he had ties to a “cartel” that was backing him. Juarez later claimed he was the victim of a vicious assault orchestrated by Duong and his men, and that he escaped with severe injuries, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Tuesday.
One detail is not in dispute: The incident occurred at the Embarcadero Waterfront offices of both California Waste Solutions and Evolution Homes in Oakland, the very offices that were raided by the FBI on June 20.
As for the attempted murder of Juarez, authorities say he and his son were returning home from Tracy on the evening of June 9, just before the shooting occurred. Juarez later told police he heard a commotion, grabbed a gun and went outside to check it out.
When he opened the door, he saw a man who appeared to be sitting in the passenger seat of Juarez’s Chevrolet, authorities said. However, a second man quickly caught his attention, emerged from a car parked two cars behind the Chevrolet, drew a gun and fired an estimated nine times at Juarez, who returned fire. Authorities said no one was injured in the shooting and the suspects left before police arrived.
According to police, Juarez told police he believed the attack was in retaliation for an “investigation” he was involved in, but did not provide details. As police were guarding the scene, neighbors reported two or three shootings within 20 minutes that night, which authorities said were confirmed by the city’s gunfire detection system and surveillance cameras at the scene.
According to a police investigation, two vehicles, both of which were partially concealed or had stolen or illegal paper license plates, were seen driving back and forth around the Juarez home near Fruitvale and Foothill avenues shortly before 10:00 PM. At approximately 9:50 PM, someone threw a brick through the window of the Suburban and a man opened fire on the vehicle. The suspects returned about 15 minutes later, this time with another suspect opening fire on Juarez, starting a shootout.
Juarez’s lawyer previously called the fraud charges “politically motivated” and declined to comment on the case. Oakland police continue to investigate an attempted murder case stemming from the June 9 shooting but have not announced any arrests.
“These were certainly attempts to kill Mario,” his lawyer, Ernie Castillo, said in an interview last week.
