Five people arrested in connection with alleged gang-related assault in Turlock
Five people were arrested Thursday in connection with an assault early Sunday that left one man injured, Turlock police said. Authorities said the attack was gang-related.
Turlock police officers responded to a reported assault just after 2 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of East Main Street, according to a news release. Around this time, a second call came in from a Turlock resident saying he had been assaulted by a group of individuals.
The man had serious injuries to his hands and torso, and police determined the group attacked him unprovoked. Officers could not find any of the individuals when searching the area.
During the course of the investigation, officers discovered the crime was gang-related, police said. However, the victim was not part of the gang.
Turlock police detectives and investigators with the department’s Special Investigations Unit identified possible suspects the next day and obtained arrest warrants.
Thursday, multiple agencies and SWAT teams assisted Turlock police in serving warrants at three homes in Turlock and one in Modesto.
The Turlock homes are located in the 900 block of North Olive Avenue, the 200 block of North Thor Street and the 1100 block of Bethany Avenue. The Modesto home is in the 2600 block of River Creek Circle, which is in the Ceres Police Department’s jurisdiction.
Police and the Turlock Unified School District confirmed that Dutcher Middle and Wakefield Elementary schools were placed on soft lockdown while law enforcement was in the area. Turlock police said the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” for school safety.
They arrested five people, including four who investigators believe were directly involved in the assault:
- Jose Aguilar, 29, Turlock
- Angelica Lopez, 33, Turlock
- Arthur Peralta, 30, Turlock
- Vincente Ruiz, 41, Modesto
The fifth suspect arrested, 25-year-old Adrian Peralta, of Turlock, is facing preliminary charges for evidence found during the search. Police do not believe he was directly part of the assault.
Police said the individuals are facing a range of preliminary felony charges, including assault by force likely to produce great bodily injury, battery causing serious bodily injury, conspiracy, participation in a criminal street gang, gang member or associate committing violent felony, committing a felony while out on bail, gang member in possession of a concealable firearm, possession of an undetectable firearm (also known as a “ghost gun”), prohibited person in possession of ammunition, violation of probation and felon in possession of a firearm.
Authorities ask anyone with information on the case to call investigator Jacob Young at 209-668-6575 or the Turlock Police Department’s tip line at 209-668-5550, ext. 6780, or email tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
This story was originally published May 5, 2022 at 5:57 PM.
