Richmond-Leader of notorious MS-13 gang arrested
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Leader of notorious MS-13 gang arrested
(07-27) 13:00 PDT RICHMOND -- A top leader of the notorious MS-13 street gang was arrested this morning in Richmond by a task force of federal and local law enforcement agents seeking to stop the Los Angeles-based gang from establishing itself in the Bay Area, authorities said.
Jose Santos Bonilla, 33, was arrested during a 6 a.m. raid on a southeast Richmond home. Since Bonilla came to the East Bay from San Francisco six months ago, MS-13 members have been linked to three homicides and several other shootings as it sought to carve out territory and intimidate other gangs, authorities said this morning.
Police recovered a loaded shotgun and a handgun at the scene, but searches at two other locations failed to net any additional gang members. An officer shot a dog at Bonilla's house when it broke free from the woman who answered the door and it charged police.
Bonilla joked and laughed with heavily armed officers while being led in handcuffs to a police van. The letters "MS" were tattooed on the back of his shaved skull.
"The MS-13 has established itself as a very violent gang (and) they're starting to get a foothold in the Bay Area," said Richmond Police Lt. Mark Gagan. "Several of the other individuals we targeted today are implicated in murders and assaults with deadly weapons."
The violence stems from a street war between MS-13 and a rival gang called RST (Richmond Sureno Trece), authorities said. The homicides made police realize MS-13 was branching into the area.
Police declined to release further information on the homicides.
"We were surprised to see we had a number of MS-13 gang members living in Richmond," Gagan said. "This was a safe place to live while they committed their crimes in the Bay Area."
The house in the 1500 block of Monterey Street is in a quiet area of one- and two-story single-family homes with little drug activity. Many neighbors were shocked when a convoy of police vehicles arrived and about 30 heavily armed men and women surrounded the house.
"They're in and out all the time. They have the dogs out front - pit bulls -- guarding the place," said neighborhood resident Oscar Bradley, 26, as he watched police go in and out of the house. "Everybody knows everyone here, but they never talked to anyone."
Bonilla, who police referred to as a "shot caller" because of his alleged high status, has a record of previous arrests on assault with a deadly weapon and firearms charges. He was arrested this morning for immigration violations and could face additional criminal charges stemming from his alleged gang activities.
"When you dismantle a gang, you have to start at the upper echelons," Gagan said.
The raid was the culmination of a six-month operation and included members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Richmond Police Department.
MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a predominantly Salvadoran gang that has long been active in Central America and Los Angeles, authorities said. In recent years it has spread to several other major U.S. cities.
Many gang members are former members of the Salvadoran military and have gained a reputation for extreme violence, including machete attacks on its enemies. Several local gangs were intimidated by MS-13 as it muscled its way into the Richmond area, police said.
E-mail Jason B. Johnson at jbjohnson@sfchronicle.com
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Law enforcement officials move in on a Richmond home in search of members of the notorious MS-13 street gang. Chronicle photo by Paul Chinn
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Police officers remove the body of a dog that was shot when it lunged towards law enforcement officials conducting a pre-dawn raid in Richmond.
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The dog had been shot after it broke free from its owner and lunged toward officers during a pre-dawn raid in Richmond.
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Sgt. Lee Hendricsen and other officers repair a fence broken during the raid.
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Gang leader Jose Santos Bonilla is taken into custody by Richmond police officers.
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Jose Santos Bonilla is taken into custody by Richmond police officers after a pre-dawn raid on a home on Monterey Street.
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Jose Santos Bonilla wears the MS-13 gang tattoo on the back of his head.
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Since Jose Santos Bonilla came to the East Bay, MS-13 members have been linked to three homicides and several other shootings.