Police in Southern California have arrested a man named Vicente Joseph Arroyo following an hours-long crime spree that saw him kill over 80 animals. A press release from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, September 4, claimed the crime began randomly.
And it saw Arroyo shooting multiple weapons and killing 81 animals in the process. Victims of the random act of violence included miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks, and other birds.
The incident has stumped the sheriff’s office despite their years of experience on the job. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” a Monterey County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.
The Crime Spree Began on Tuesday Morning
It all started early Tuesday morning, September 3, when the police began receiving calls regarding gunfire in the area. The police department quickly sprung into action, ordering Prunedale residents within a five-mile radius to shelter in place. Meanwhile, SWAT teams and other agencies, including the Seaside Fire Department and Gonzales Police Department, swarmed the area.
After obtaining a search warrant, detectives recovered a total of 15 weapons, including five long rifles, a shotgun, a handgun, an unserialized assault rifle and handgun (aka “ghost guns”), and “7 additional firearms and ammunition.”
The police also said they recovered additional ammunition in varying calibers, bringing the estimated total of rounds of ammo to near or above 2000 rounds. Had it not been for their prompt response, Arroyo likely had plans to extend his crime spree by hours.
The Police Believe They Have Prevented Future Tragedy
The Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto is convinced that the warrant that enabled deputies and detectives to confiscate additional weapons has made the community safer. “I am confident that we have prevented another tragedy from happening in the future,” Nieto said.
All the animals who lost their lives to the brutal shooting during the unexpected crime spree lived on the property, according to Cmdr. Andres Rosas, a spokesperson for the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office.
The Times also added that the 39-year-old suspect lived on the property with the animals. It is one of the facts that makes it even harder to understand why Arroyo would do such a thing. “I’ve been in law enforcement for 24 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this,” Rosas told the Times during a phone interview.
“Being an animal lover, they become part of your family, and for them to be taken in this manner is horrible.” The dead animals are not a cause for celebration, but everyone can agree that Arroyo could have chosen worse targets.
Animals That Survived Had To Be Euthanized To End Their Pain
The SPCA Monterey County Humane Investigations team was also at the scene of the crime spree. SPCA Monterey County spokesperson Beth Brookhouser said only five parakeets survived the incident.
Unfortunately, they were reportedly “severely injured” and “needed to be humanely euthanized to end their suffering. Arroyo has been taken to the Monterey County Jail, where he was booked for various crimes.
They include violation of Willful Discharge of a Firearm with Gross Negligence, Cruelty to Animals, Illegal Possession of an Assault Weapon, Vandalism, and Criminal Threats. He was also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Arroyo’s bail was initially set at $50,000, but detectives with the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office obtained a bail enhancement. He was eventually booked into the Monterey County Jail on $1,000,000 bail, where he remains as of Wednesday evening.
It Comes One Day After Another Mass Shooting Was Reported at the Apalachee High School
Arroyo’s crime spree is just one of the many shocking mass shootings that have rocked American society in the past couple of days. But his targets were animals, which makes them easier to accept.
Imagine the horror of people when one day after it happened, another public shooting occurred—this time, with human targets and casualties.
Reports revealed that the shooting, carried out by an autistic 14-year-old named Colt Ryan, killed four and injured nine. The tragedy went down at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, just 45 miles from Atlanta.
Gray has been taken into custody. Authorities have vowed to prosecute him as an adult due to the severity of the crimes, and he faces murder charges.
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