"I won't come here at night now": 1 arrested after shooting scare at Modesto restaurant

By Tori Apodaca

June 7, 2023 / 10:30 PM / CBS Sacramento

MODESTO — One man was arrested after shots were fired at Dos Compadres Restaurant in Modesto on Tuesday night. The Mexican restaurant is located on the 3100 block of McHenry Avenue.

"I've never seen any crime here at all," said Cheryl Whidby who is a frequent customer at Dos Compadres. "It's on a very busy street."

Modesto police said two customers got into an altercation inside. Then, the suspect left. When he returned, police said he fired multiple shots at the restaurant.

"He struck a business nearby that had patrons inside," said Modesto police spokesperson Sharon Bear.

The nearby business was a nail salon that had a boarded-up window on Wednesday.

"Thank God the police respond quickly," said Gerardo Hinojosa, who works at Dos Compadres. "Everyone was safe."

Bear said no customers or workers in either business were hit, but bullet marks were still visible on the restaurant's outside brick wall.

"Most crime in Modesto happens on the west side," said Whidby. "It does not happen here in central Modesto."

Investigators were out in west Modesto on Wednesday morning investigating a homicide. Bear told CBS13 the victim was a man parked in a car on Monticello Lane.

The two shootings, one deadly, happened fewer than 24 hours apart. CBS13 asked Bear if crime is up in Modesto.

"Modesto is a fairly safe community," Bear responded. "We do have these isolated incidents as do a lot of cities."

Bear said her team has a really high solve rate, solving all but one case in 2022.

"A lot of our crime statistics show that stolen vehicles are down in Modesto," said Bear.

Many people CBS13 spoke with in Modesto said crime happens everywhere, but these most recent incidents remind them to stay alert.

"I won't come here at night now that I know that that happened, but at the end of the day, they have the best food here," said Whidby.

Police arrested shooting suspect 47-year-old Paul Garcia at his Modesto home a little after the incident at Dos Compadres on Tuesday night. He is facing multiple charges including attempted homicide.

Police are still searching for the suspect in Wednesday morning's shooting on Monticello Lane just south of West Hatch Road. If you know anything, call Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636 or contact Detective Grant at [email protected].

First published on June 7, 2023 / 10:30 PM