Los Angeles: According to a Thursday statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney, a Californian man who was sentenced to 33 years in prison for attempted murder has been found innocent and released.

Having opened fire on a car carrying six teenagers as they were leaving a high school football game in Baldwin Park, east of Los Angeles, Daniel Saldana, then 55, was found guilty in 1990. Two students were hurt, but they are doing fine.

Authorities claim that the attackers believed the teenagers to be gang members. At the time of the shooting, Saldana was 22 years old and employed full-time in the construction industry. He was one of the three men responsible for the assault. 

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Saldana was given a 45-year to life sentence in state prison after being found guilty of six counts of attempted murder and one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
In attendance with Saldana at the press conference announcing his exoneration on Thursday was District Attorney George Gascón. He expressed his gratitude for being freed.

It's difficult to wake up every day knowing you're innocent while being imprisoned, Saldana reportedly said, according to the Southern California News Group.

He continued, "I'm just so glad this day came. After learning in February that a different convicted attacker had claimed to authorities during a 2017 parole hearing that Saldana "was not involved in the shooting in any way and he was not present during the incident," the DA said Gascón's office launched an investigation.

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According to Gascón, a former deputy district attorney was present at the hearing "but apparently did nothing" and did not inform Saldana or his lawyer of the exonerating details as was required.

Due to this, Saldana was imprisoned for an additional six years before the district attorney's office reopened the investigation and found him innocent, according to Gascón.

The district attorney apologised to Saldana and his family but withheld further information about the case.

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He said, "I know that this won't make the years you spent in prison go away. But as you start your new life, I hope our apology brings you some small solace.

"Not only is it tragic to put people in jail for a crime they did not commit, but every time an injustice of this magnitude occurs, the true offenders are still out there committing other crimes," continued Gascón.