Santa Rosa Gang Crimes Investigation Yields 1 Arrest In Jan. 23 Shooting
SANTA ROSA (CBS SF) -- After a week of investigating, the Santa Rosa Police Department's Gang Crimes Team was able to identify and arrest a suspect Saturday afternoon in connection with a recent shooting.
At around 2:30 p.m. officers saw 22-year-old Jose Reginaldo of Santa Rosa walking on Kawana Springs Road, according to police.
Officer detained him and transported him to the police department, where detectives interviewed him.
After the interview, detectives were able to obtain a search warrant for Reginaldo's residence, located on Meadow Way, police said.
During the search, officers found a loaded high-powered SKS rifle in the home's living room, hidden underneath a couch. Because of where it was hidden, the rifle was accessible to numerous family members that also live in the house, including several small children, according to police.
Officers arrested Reginaldo on suspicion of attempted murder, active gang participation, gang enhancement, being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, being a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, violating felony probation and providing false identification to a peace officer.
Reginaldo also had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest for violating felony probation, vandalism and a gang enhancement, police said.
Detectives are also seeking additional charges of felony child endangerment based on the discovery of the loaded, high-powered rifle and its accessibility to the children living in the home.
Detectives had been seeking suspects in connection with an alleged gang-related shooting that occurred on Jan. 23.
At 3:37 p.m. near the 300 block of Taylor View Drive, officers responded to reports of gunshots being fired, according to police.
As officers responded to the reports, police dispatchers received a call from the victim saying they had just been shot at while seated in their vehicle.
Police said the victim was able to give a detailed physical description of the suspects as well as a vehicle description and license plate numbers.
An investigation by police revealed the victim had contacted multiple suspects who were allegedly trespassing on his family's property and causing a disturbance, telling them they were not welcome and needed to leave immediately.
Police said the suspects appeared to be leaving the victim's property. The victim told police they then got into their vehicle and drove to the back of the property to check if the group was leaving.
The group however remained nearby, according to police. The victim told the suspects again they needed to leave or the authorities would be contacted, and the suspects allegedly began threatening the victim, brandishing a firearm and firing one round as the victim drove away.
Police said the victim was not injured when the bullet pierced the vehicle.
During the investigation, police said detectives were able to identify a 16-year-old juvenile involved in the incident and also located a firearm believed to have been used in the shooting.
The teen suspect was arrested and taken to the Juvenile Justice Center on suspicion of possession of a loaded firearm in public, accessory after the fact and gang enhancement.
In addition to the 16-year-old and Reginaldo, detectives are continuing to attempt to identify other potential outstanding suspects connected to the shooting, according to police.
A reward of up to $2,500 is being offered by the Sonoma County Alliance "Take Back Our Community Program" for information leading to the arrest and conviction of any additional suspects involved in the shooting.
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