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Gilroy Hells Angel Sentenced In Connection With 2011 Casino Shootout

RENO (CBS/AP) -- A member of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang has been sentenced to 12.5 years in prison in connection with a 2011 shootout at a northern Nevada casino.

The sentence was imposed Friday in Washoe County District Court on 38-year-old Cesar Villagrana of Gilroy, who will be eligible for parole after five years.

Villagrana was accompanying Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew, who was president of the Hells Angels' chapter in San Jose, when members of the rival Vagos motorcycle gang approached on a busy floor at John Ascuaga's Nugget in Sparks on Sept. 23, 2011.

Prosecutors say security video showed Villagrana shot a Vagos member in the leg during a subsequent melee.

Vagos member Ernesto Gonzalez was sentenced earlier this month to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 28 years for fatally shooting Pettigrew during the brawl.

Villagrana was set to stand trial with Gonzales, but pleaded guilty the first day of the trail to battery with a deadly weapon and challenge to fight.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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