Raul Aguila attended a party at a friends house in Logan Heights, which began to break up at around midnight. Aguila left the party in his car with a friend, and their route out of the neighborhood took them up 33rd Street. Several men, believed to be gang members living in the area, were loitering on 400 33rd Street and threw bottles and rocks at Aguilas car as it passed. Aguila got away from the immediate area but returned a little while later on foot with some friends to confront the gang members. To the surprise of Aguila and his friends, the gang members immediately pulled guns and began shooting. Aguila and his friends fled and the men chased them, still shooting. Everyone in Aguilas group got away safely, except for Aguila himself. The men caught up with Aguila on the corner of 33rd & J Streets and shot him to death.

This murder may be related to another murder that occurred in National City several months later.