California man declared innocent and freed after 33 years in prison

A California man who spent 33 years in prison for attempted murder has been declared innocent and released, the Los Angeles County district attorney announced Thursday.

Daniel Saldana, 55, was convicted in 1990 of opening a car carrying six teenagers leaving a high school football game in Baldwin Park, east of Los Angeles, in October 1989. Two students were injured but survived the shooting.

Saldana was 22 at the time of the shooting and was working full-time as a construction worker. He is one of three people charged with assault. Saldana was convicted of six counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting into an occupied vehicle. He was sentenced to 45 years to life in prison.

He appeared with District Attorney George Gascon at a news conference announcing his release Thursday. He said thank you for being released.

“It’s a struggle, waking up every day knowing you’re innocent and here I am locked in a cell, crying for help,” Saldana said, according to the Southern California News Group.

“I’m very happy that this day has come,” he said.

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California man pleads not guilty after 33 years in prison

Daniel Saldana, who in 1990 was wrongly convicted of a shooting last year, said he wakes up every day knowing he is innocent and believes he will be released from prison.

The DA apologized to Saldana

Gascon’s office began investigating after learning in February that another convicted attacker told authorities during a 2017 parole hearing that Saldana “was not involved in the shooting in any way and that he was not present during the incident,” the DA said.

The former deputy district attorney was at the 2017 hearing “but did nothing” and failed to share exculpatory information with Saldana or his attorney as required, Gascon said.

That led to Saldana spending an additional six years in prison before the DA’s office reopened the case and declared him innocent, Gascon said.

The district attorney did not release any other details about the case, but he apologized to Saldana and his family.

“I know it’s not going to set you back decades in prison,” he said. “But I hope my apology gives you some small comfort as you start your new life.”

Gascon added: “Not only is it a tragedy to force people into prison for crimes they did not commit, but every time an injustice of this magnitude occurs, the real people responsible are still there to commit other crimes.”