Modesto man arrested by SWAT team for alleged attempted murder; school placed on lockdown
A Modesto man was arrested by a SWAT team for his alleged connection in multiple shootings, the Modesto Police Department announced on Thursday.
Gabriel Martinez, 46, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder at a residence on the 300 block of Covena Avenue near La Loma Junior High School — which was placed on lock down while MPD’s operation was conducted during school hours.
In addition to a SWAT team, Crisis Response Unit and Crisis Negotiation Teams were called to scene to assist with executing the warrants against Martinez.
The warrants were the product of an investigation that began on Dec. 5, when MPD officers responded to call about a shooting near the intersection of Spruce Street and South Madison Street in west Modesto. A woman was found with at least one gunshot wound, an MPD press release stated.
The woman survived and recovered from her injuries. During MPD’s investigation, they determined Martinez’s alleged crimes dated back to March 2023, according to the release. Details of the other shootings Martinez is suspected to be connected with were not available as of Friday afternoon.
MPD said its large response was due to their belief that he possessed a firearm and “his comments about evading arrest.” Martinez was taken into custody without incident and surrendered to the SWAT team shortly before 1 p.m. on Thursday.
“This is just one example of the hard work that our VCU detectives put in every day,” read a statement from Sgt. Sean Martin, who was quoted in the release. “Martinez is a violent criminal who needed to be taken into custody before injuring another person in our community.”
Martinez was arrested on suspicion of numerous charges including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and being a felon in possession of a gun.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 1:00 PM.
