Authorities arrested 26 individuals and seized guns and drugs during a major gang crackdown operation involving 17 law enforcement agencies, following the allegedly gang-related killing of six people, mostly family members, in a home in Goshen.
The January 16 massacre made national headlines, and surveillance footage later released showed the harrowing last moments of a young mother who ran from the home in Goshen, put her baby on the other side of a fence, and started trying to climb the fence herself, only to be chased down by a gunman. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Noah David Beard of Visalia, also allegedly shot the infant.
Beard was arrested in early February along with 35-year-old Angel Uriarte of Goshen, and charged in the six murders. Both men were said to be "heavily active in gang violence, gun violence, and narcotics dealings."
Now, as KPIX reports, 17 law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives took part in a four-day sweep last week that targeted 97 homes and 23 prison cells connected with suspected gang members.
Two members of the family of the victims were said to be Sureño-affiliated gang members, and the Tulare County Sheriff's Office said that the sweep targeted "known Norteño gang members." Authorities now say that Uriarte "has ties to a California prison gang."
"The focus of the operation was to conduct probation and parole compliance checks, as well as arrest warrant services on known gang members throughout Tulare County," says a statement from the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.
As a result of a the sweep, the sheriff's office said "five firearms, ammunition, two pounds of methamphetamine, one ounce of cocaine, an illegal firearm manufacturing operation and gang indicia were located."
Regarding the illegal firearm manufacturing operation, it "consisted of gang members making and selling untraceable firearms to other gang members," and "Evidence seized consisted of [80 polymer] parts to assemble untraceable handguns, assault rifle parts to assemble untraceable AR-15 style firearms and parts to make a handgun fully automatic."
Also, in the prison cell sweeps, "numerous cellphones, weapons and gang intelligence" were seized.
Eight of the 26 suspects arrested are being held in the county's pre-trial detention center, and they range in age from 25 to 44.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Tulare County Sheriff's Office at (559) 733-6218. Or, to remain anonymous, you can call or text (559)725-4194, or email at [email protected].
Previously: Two Arrests Made In Central Valley Massacre That Killed Six
Photo: Scott Rodgerson