Girl accused of aiding California mosque attack called police on day of shootings, her attorney says

The North Carolina girl accused of aiding the two teens who fatally shot three men at the Islamic Center of San Diego earlier this year had called police on the day of the shootings, according to her defense attorney.

The attorney did not say whether she made the call before or after the attack on May 18. Authorities say Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, stormed the Clairemont mosque just after 11:40 a.m. and killed three men, including a security guard who engaged in a gun battle with them. After they fled, they allegedly fired a shot at a landscaper a few blocks over, then drove a little farther and killed themselves.

Authorities allege 17-year-old Sarah Lindsey Santiago helped by disseminating the livestream of the assault and releasing the hate-filled manifesto the two teens had authored. She is also accused of buying a patch bearing a Nazi-linked symbol and sending it to Vazquez, who wore it during the attack.

Santiago, who is being charged as an adult in North Carolina state court, faces three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy. Her defense attorney has said she will enter a plea of not guilty when she is arraigned.

That defense attorney, Alan Doorasamy Sr., said Thursday that his client had reached out to authorities.

“On the day of the incident, my client called the police and told them about it,” Doorasamy said. “She called police not just in Winston-Salem, but in San Diego as well.”

He said there is “more to it,” but declined to provide further detail, including whether the girl, who lives in Winston-Salem, made the calls before or after the deadly attack.

Asked about the alleged call, San Diego police spokesperson Ashley Nicholes said, “This is an ongoing and active case. We are unable to provide a comment at this time.”

At the time that the charges were announced, FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis said the girl had “multiple opportunities” to alert authorities about the plan, and that failure to do so must have consequences.

Killed in the rampage were Nadir Awad, 57, husband of a teacher at the mosque’s school and a neighbor who ran to help after hearing gunshots; Mansour Kaziha, 78, a founder and caretaker at the mosque; and Amin Abdullah, 51, a security guard at the mosque.

Santiago was arrested in late August and indicted three days later. She remains jailed.

During a court hearing Wednesday in North Carolina’s Forsyth County, Doorasamy won a court order for prosecutors to turn over discovery — essentially evidence, including police reports — within seven days, a court document indicates. The judge also ordered prosecutors to, within 60 days, supply answers Doorasamy sought in a “bill of particulars” motion, including details of the communications that constitute the alleged conspiracy.

The prosecutor handling the case could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

Santiago’s defense attorney said he has received just 24 pages of documents, including the warrant to arrest his client and the probable cause statement supporting it. He said he is pressing the prosecution to provide evidence.

“I want to know why this person is sitting in jail,” Doorasamy said. “She is supposed to be finishing high school this year. If she is involved in something, tell us. Prove it.”