STOCKTON, Calif. — Nine years after hostage Misty Holt-Singh was killed in a bank robbery, chase and shootout, the Stockton community is expected to gather Sunday to remember and honor the life of the beloved wife and mother of two.
Holt-Singh was killed after bank robber and gunman Jaime Ramos took her hostage during the robbery and police chase in 2014, ultimately using her as a human shield during a gun battle with police.
Stockton nonprofit, Victims of Violent Crimes of San Joaquin County, has planned a candlelight vigil for 7 p.m. Sunday. The vigil, expected to last until 7:30 p.m., will be held at the corner of Otto Drive and Thornton Road, the location where the police chase came to a violent end leaving Holt-Singh dead on July 16, 2014.
At the intersection, a cross stands and a memorial bench bears her name. In 2019, the city of Stockton named a softball complex at nearby McNair High School in honor of Holt-Singh.
Each year, family members host a memorial golf tournament in Holt-Singh's name. This year's tournament will be held on August 4. Proceeds from the tournament benefit Victims of Violent Crimes of San Joaquin County.
Over the past nine years, more than $300,000 has been raised at the golf tournament.
Case History
On July 16, 2014, 19-year-old Jaime Ramos, 27-year-old Alex Martinez and 30-year-old Gilbert Renteria Jr. entered a Bank of the West on Thornton Road near Hammer Lane in Stockton, armed with AK-47s and handguns.
Police said the three were members of a gang.
After robbing the bank, which has since been demolished, the three gunmen walked out with three female hostages at gunpoint and sped off in a blue Ford Explorer.
For over an hour, the gunmen terrified the community, leading police on a 63-mile-long high-speed chase in and out of Stockton and Lodi. During the chase, which went through several freeways and residential streets, at least one gunman continued to fire at officers, disabling 14 police cars.
Meanwhile, inside the Ford Explorer, one of the hostages was forced to drive until accidentally being shot in the leg by one of the gunmen and thrown out into the street.
A second hostage was hurt after jumping out of the car at 50 miles per hour. Both hostages, who were employees of the bank, survived their injuries.
The violent chase turned into an exchange of gunfire involving the three gunmen and 30 police officers who fired more than 600 rounds into the SUV after it stopped on Thornton Road and Otto Drive, less than two miles from where the robbery and chase began.
Police shot and killed Martinez and Renteria. The sole surviving gunman, Jaime Ramos, used the third hostage, Misty Holt-Singh as a human shield. Police bullets hit and killed Holt-Singh.
In 2015 and 2018, the family of Holt-Singh settled lawsuits with the Bank of the West and the city of Stockton.
Where are the suspects now
The only surviving gunman, Jaime Ramos pled guilty in 2017, avoiding a lengthy trial and possible death sentence. He accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Ramos, now 28, is housed at California State Prison Solano in Vacaville.
In 2017, Pablo Ruvalcaba, the man who drove the robbers to the bank, also pled guilty to Holt-Singh's murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
Ruvalcaba, now 30, is incarcerated at Pelican State Bay Prison in Crescent City. He will be eligible for parole in Sept. 2033.
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