A 25-year-old suspected gang member was picked up in Lemon Grove Wednesday for allegedly hurling a bottle at a fellow bus passenger, gashing his face, as they rode through Chula Vista last summer.
Jovan Rivera of San Diego was arrested following the release of surveillance photos which showed a suspect throwing a bottle at another bus passenger.
About 11:50 p.m. Aug. 27, Rivera confronted the victim on a Metropolitan Transit System bus and issued a gang-oriented challenge, to which the other man replied that he did not want any trouble.
"The (aggressor), who appeared to be intoxicated, sat down, but continued to cause a disturbance,'' Capt. Gary Wedge said.
As the bus came to a stop at Third Avenue and Naples Street, Rivera allegedly accosted the man again, then threw a glass bottle at his face, causing a cut that required several stitches to close.
Last week, a day after local news outlets carried stories about the attack, a tipster called the police and identified Rivera as the alleged attacker, Wedge said.
Rivera was booked into county jail on suspicion of assault and participating in a street gang. He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, pending arraignment scheduled for Friday afternoon.
