Armed juvenile in stolen car arrested en route to gang fight, Sacramento Sheriff’s Office says
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Gang Suppression Unit and SWAT detectives arrested an armed juvenile allegedly en route to confront rival gang members Thursday evening, according to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
GSU detectives had been tracking a car reported stolen in a carjacking, Sgt. Amar Gandhi, a spokesman with the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, said in a release. On Thursday, when officers attempted a vehicle stop, the suspect vehicle fled at a high speed to an apartment complex associated with a gang, authorities said. Vehicle passengers fled on foot.
The officers arrested one of the juveniles after discovering two loaded handguns and two unserialized AR-15-style pistols with high-capacity magazines inside the vehicle. The individual had previously been arrested by GSU detectives earlier in the year for multiple firearms possession charges.
Detectives confirmed the group of gang members were responsible for numerous recent shootings and homicides in the region, according to the press release.
The rival gang members were also armed and “anticipating the arrival of the armed vehicle, which would have predictably resulted in a major gunfight amid unsuspecting and uninvolved residents,” according to the news release.
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper attributed gang-related violence to “soft juvenile justice laws that lack accountability for violent crimes.”
“Our community is being victimized because of laws that side with these violent individuals and consider the victims as collateral damage,” he said.
Cooper said that “this leniency emboldens gang members and sends a message that criminal behavior is somewhat acceptable. It’s not acceptable, and I will continue to fight to keep our community safe and for accountability.”
