Woman who drove into Santa Rosa nightclub crowd given 30-year prison term

A 32-year-old woman on Thursday was handed a 30-year prison term for attacking her then-boyfriend and a romantic rival inside a west Santa Rosa night club in 2015, then ramming her minivan into them and three others when they fled outside to a parking lot, Sonoma County District Attorney officials said.

In a deal reached with prosecutors, Jessica Garcia-Leos, 32, of Santa Rosa pleaded guilty in April to two counts of attempted murder, plus enhancements for causing great bodily injury.

The sentence includes added time because Garcia-Leos admitted to a 2006 conviction for a similar offense - ramming a boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend with a vehicle, Deputy District Attorney Laura Passaglia said.

The latest attack unfolded Nov. 14, 2015, at the El Rey Night Club on Sebastopol Road near Llano Road.

Garcia-Leos became enraged when she saw her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend looking at each other, according to court testimony.

She picked a fight with the woman, and the pair tussled until bystanders pulled them apart.

At that point, Garcia-Leos turned to her then-boyfriend and hit him in the face with a bottle, bloodying him, witnesses said.

The boyfriend, ex-girlfriend and a group of her family and friends went outside to wait for an ambulance, summoned by a bartender.

Garcia-Leos went outside, too, got into her minivan and accelerated toward the group, plowing into them, officials said.

Five people were seriously injured, including a man who was in a coma for nearly a week and has lingering injuries that affect him still, Passaglia said. All those injured suffer from various lasting impacts from their injuries, she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.