Daniel Ryan Perez, who carjacked four people in two cars in Otay Mesa and wrecked one vehicle, has been sentenced to 28 years in state prison.
Perez, 33, was sentenced by San Diego Superior Court Judge Joseph Brannigan, who gave him credit for serving nearly 10 months in jail since the September 2017 incident.
He could have received a maximum 37-year term, said Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang.
Perez got into a Volkswagen Jetta on Sept. 21, 2017 around 10:25 p.m. at the trolley station on Iris Avenue near Beyer Boulevard. A man and woman in the car immediately got out and Perez drove off with their car.
Perez abandoned the Jetta at Palm Avenue and Beyer Boulevard and took a Hyundai vehicle after Perez pulled the driver out of that car. A passenger in the car then fled the vehicle.
Perez drove off, but he crashed the Hyundai into the back of a sports utility vehicle at an off-ramp from north Interstate 805. He was injured, and was arrested at a hospital.
Some of the victims thought Perez was armed because he reached for his waistband as if he had a gun. They all testified in the Feb. 9 preliminary hearing.
Perez pleaded guilty to all charges in April after his case was assigned to Brannigan for trial.
He was convicted of assault in Chula Vista Superior Court in 2013. He also has prior convictions for grand theft and drug charges. He was charged with a misdemeanor offense of being under the influence of methamphetamine about a week before the carjackings, according to court records.
