A Santa Barbara rapper accused of attempted murder will appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday.
Mario Alberto Hernandez-Pacheco, 30, is charged with attempted murder, second-degree robbery and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury. The charges carry enhancements for causing great bodily injury and street terrorism or assault for the benefit of the Eastside street gang.
He pleaded not guilty on Aug. 15, 2018.
According to court records Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco will appear before Judge James Herman on Thursday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court with his attorneys, Adam Pearlman and J’Aimee Oxton. Senior Deputy District Attorney Kimberly Siegel is prosecuting the case.
At the end of the preliminary hearing, Judge Herman will determine whether evidence is sufficient for Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco to stand trial as charged.
Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco was arrested Aug. 3, 2018 by Santa Barbara Police Department officers on a warrant for attempted murder, robbery and felony assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Two juveniles also were arrested in connection with the crimes.
Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco has been rapping under the stage name “Sad Boy Loko” since 2011. His first viral music video was the 2011 release was “I’m Still Here.” It quickly reached 1 million views on YouTube and has more than 2 million today.
In a 2017 interview with DJ Vlad, Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco suggested the song describes the story of when he was stabbed during a gang attack. The intro of the song features a sample from a TV news report on the stabbing, which occurred on Yanonali Street near Alisos Street.
News reports at the time did not identify Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco as the victim.
He signed with Compton rapper YG’s 4Hunnid Records in 2015 and released albums “The First Ese” in 2016 and “My Evil Ways” in 2018.
Music videos for his songs “Gang Signs”, “For My Gangstas,” and “Take A Ride,” also have received millions of views and he was featured on YG’s 2016 track Blacks & Browns.
Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco remains in County Jail custody.
In a separate case, Daniel Medina and Juan Rios were convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and gang enhancements for a February 2018 stabbing on State Street. Mr. Medina also admitted a 2017 conviction for being an active participant in the Eastside street gang.
Mr. Hernandez-Pacheco was not charged in that case, but testimony during trial revealed the stabbing occurred shortly after the victim got into an argument with him at a State Street bar.
