Thread: A little taste of Mexico

Salinas is one of the most gang ridden cities in the US. This story kind of reminds me of what's going on in the wonderful country to our south.

2 Dead As Violence Continues In Salinas
5 Shot In 3 Separate Shootings

SALINAS, Calif. --
Three separate shootings Friday evening in east Salinas left two people dead and three others injured.

The first shooting took place at about 5 p.m. at First and Towt streets. Police said a Chevrolet SUV pulled up to three people standing in a driveway when an argument broke out.

Police said the SUV then drove off, but quickly made a U-turn and opened fire. Gunfire hit one person standing in the driveway in the chest. The victim, who was in his 30s or 40s, died at the scene, police said.

About two hours later at 7:30 p.m., two people were shot at Partridge Way near East Boronda Road. One of the victims, an 18-year-old, was shot in the chest. He was taken to Natividad Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A 24-year-old victim was also hit by the gunfire, receiving a wound to his lower leg. He was taken to Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released.

Police said after the shooting, the gunman was seen running to a waiting car parked on Falcon Drive.

Authorities said they are looking for a blue sedan with tinted windows in connection with the shooting. The shooter was described as a teenager or man in his early 20s who was wearing all black.

The third shooting took place at 9 p.m. in the 200 block of Dennis Avenue. Police said a 19-year-old and 20-year-old were sitting in an Oldsmobile vehicle when another vehicle, described as a Dodge Charger, drove up and someone inside started firing.

The 19-year-old was shot several times in the upper torso and was flown to a Bay Area hospital, where he was being treated for life-threatening injuries.

The second victim, a 20-year-old, was taken to a local hospital with multiple gunshot wounds where he too was treated for life-threatening injuries.

The violent night comes after four people were shot in a 24-hour span earlier this week.

On Wednesday evening, separate shootings left two 16-year-old victims dead and a 14-year-old in critical condition.

Thursday morning, a 15-year-old was shot in east Salinas. He also is listed in critical condition.

http://www.ksbw.com/news/24460829/detail.html

You are right gcsanjose. It's a mess because of all the agworkers gang members.

Note:

Salinas, in the salad bowl capitol of the world, is listed as the Number 3 city in the U.S. with the highest paying jobs - Number 3 after San Francisco and New York. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/arc ... are/60535/
The San Francisco Bay Area has one of the two top-paying metros in six categories. Salinas, California, numbers among the top two in four job categories. High Salinas categories are professional and related; service; sales and related; and installation, maintenance and repair.

This makes me sick. Growing up in Monterey some of my earliest memories are of going to Sears in Salinas to buy my school clothes. Salinas High was our rival, but we would all go to the football game by bus or loading into our cars. Everyone would drag main street waiting to get a spot in the A&W carhop section. There was no fighting or fear of gangs. It is a shame that they could not have picked up that Americana culture.

This is even worse!

Salinas Valley State Prison "Gang War"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeKBOp_ZLOo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDIzgAr3erQ

Apr 22, 2010 1:54 pm US/Pacific

'Operation Knockout' Targets Salinas, SJ Gangs

CBS 5 CrimeWatchSALINAS (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) ―

Drug evidence recovered during Thursday's raids.

A massive raid targeting powerful gang leaders was carried out in the Salinas area Thursday, Attorney General Jerry Brown's office announced.

Thursday's sweep is the culmination of an eight-month investigation that began in response to increased gang violence in Salinas, Brown spokeswoman Christine Gasparac said.

Brown's office said 37 suspected gang members were arrested during "Operation Knockout" Thursday, and an additional 57 arrests were made over the past eight months. Search warrants were served throughout Salinas, San Jose and other areas of Monterey County.

A coalition of more than 200 federal, state, and local law enforcement agents served search and arrest warrants about 7 a.m.

The raids were organized and conducted by agents from Brown's Gang Suppression Enforcement Program, part of the state Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement.

According to Brown's office, there were 55 homicides in the city of Salinas in 2008 and 2009. Only two were not gang-related.

Based on the city's population of 148,000, authorities say Salinas' violent crime rate was more than three times the national average.

http://cbs5.com/local/salinas.gang.raids.2.1650726.html

Gang retaliations fuel deadly Salinas attacks

Salinas: Gang subgroups targeting each other, police say

By JULIA REYNOLDS
Herald Salinas Bureau
Posted: 07/30/2010 04:30:44 AM PDT
Updated: 07/30/2010 08:51:51 AM PDT

Detectives are following up signs that many of the slayings and shootings in Salinas this month are the result of back-and-forth retaliation between two rival gang factions, police said Thursday.
Gunmen killed two teenagers within minutes of each other late Wednesday, while another victim clings to life in a San Jose hospital, according to police.

At 9:20 a.m. Thursday in the 100 block of Del Monte Avenue, a 16-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen. His condition was described as serious, but he is expected to recover.

Late Wednesday, Frank Sanchez Jr., 16, and Kristian Zamudio, 14, became the fourth and fifth gang-slaying victims this year.

Police said all of the victims in this week's shootings have gang ties.

Follow-up violence

Investigators said some attacks appear to be follow-ups to a flurry of violence between Norteño and Sureño gang subgroups that took place July 12-18.

A 23-year-old man shot in the head while sitting in a car on Lohman Street suffered grave injuries and remains in a coma. A 28-year-old man standing nearby was shot in the leg and is recovering.

Days after the mid-July violence, police — aided by the FBI, ATF and other agencies — responded with raids that targeted members of the involved groups.

The department's Violence Suppression Unit, which was recently reduced in size by half, conducted 22 probation and parole searches during the week of July 20. They seized a .22 caliber rifle, a ballistic vest and a bag of ammunition in the apartment of Oscar Pachardo, 29, police said.
The searches were conducted under the auspices of the city's Ceasefire program, which targets specific gang groups known to be involved in shootings.

Despite the police attention, the rivalry between the two gangs raged on Wednesday when two 14-year-old boys were found lying in a North Salinas street with gunshot wounds.

Zamudio was one of the victims. He was pronounced dead soon afterward, while the other boy remained in extremely critical condition late Thursday.

Reduction in slayings

Despite the sudden rise in bloodshed, the year has to date shown promise for dramatic reductions in gang violence. During the same period last year, there were 16 gang murders, according to Salinas police.

Deputy Chief Kelly McMillin said police are putting in long hours and are committed to staying the course with Ceasefire. They are continuing targeted enforcement operations this week, while a "street outreach" component was dispatched Thursday for "retaliation prevention work."

A volunteer "crisis response team" visited at least one victim's residence Thursday to help family members cope with their loss.

Sanchez was shot in the head about 8:30 p.m. while sitting in a car in his family's driveway.

Detectives say they haven't found signs that Sanchez's close-range slaying is part of the recent feud. Police described him as a known gang associate from a family that has had Norteño ties.

The boy's uncle, Raymond Sanchez, was a documented Nuestra Familia defector who was murdered in May 2001 in Cap's Saloon in Oldtown Salinas. Court records show he was targeted by Nuestra Familia gang members for not sharing Chinatown drug sale proceeds.

Police records show that after Raymond Sanchez's murder, his nephew Michael "Laughing Boy" Cortez was sliced on the face with a razor in Monterey County Jail. Cortez had allegedly confronted Nuestra Familia members about his uncle's murder, the police report said.

Julia Reynolds can be reached at jreynolds@montereyherald.com or 648-1187.

http://www.montereyherald.com/crime/ci_15639477