Five individuals from a group known for their violent actions, who targeted suspected rival gang members and harmed innocent people, received a total sentence of 161 years in prison.
This week, five defendants, known by nicknames like “Gunner” and “Hitter,” faced the consequences of their actions. Their ages, spanning from 27 to 37, are now tied to a tragic incident that resulted in 11 fatalities and 17 injuries due to gunfire in a small California city.
Siaki “Shocky” “Gunner” Tavale, 27, received a 41-year prison sentence; John “Romeo” Magat, 37, was sentenced to 37 years; Anthony “Hitter” “Tony Boronda” Valdez, 27, got 31 years; Anelu “Angel” Tavale, 28, received 27 years; and Mark Anthony “Tony from Santa Rita” Garcia, 33, was sentenced to 25 years. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced in a news release that they pleaded guilty in May to charges of murder and racketeering conspiracy.
“The ‘Murder Squad’ killed for sport, terrorizing the city of Salinas and forever altering the lives of so many innocent members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “As described in the court filings, their conduct is reprehensible. Thanks to the strong collaboration between federal and state law enforcement over the course of many years, these men will rightfully spend the next few decades of their lives in prison.”
The group is connected to a faction referred to as “Norteños,” which is a street gang based in Northern California. They targeted rival “Sureños” — members of a Southern California street gang or individuals they believed were connected to them — in Salinas, a city with a population of 163,542, located over 100 miles south of San Francisco.
The group employed tactics described by prosecutors as resembling military operations during their searches. They moved together in a group with specific vehicles for shooting and spotting. They focused on Hispanic males, individuals with shaved heads, and those dressed in blue, the opposing color.
After pinpointing a target, they occasionally reached out to their victims to verify their gang affiliation before opening fire, though they often did not wait for a response before shooting, according to prosecutors.
Once they had emptied their magazines, they quickly drove off, with the spotter vehicle trailing behind to divert or engage law enforcement, according to authorities.
Prosecutors stated that they were accountable for the deaths of 11 individuals from 2015 to 2018. Seventeen individuals were shot at but managed to survive. Prosecutors stated that the majority of the victims were not affiliated with a competing gang. Some individuals were caught in the crossfire, despite not being the intended targets.
Prosecutors stated that some of the murders occurred to honor a deceased gang member and/or to boost morale among the group. Authorities reported that as the body count rose, so did a defendant’s status within the gang.
In a news release from October 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed multiple cases resulting in victims being killed or injured from January 2017 to November 2018.
In January 2017, a gang noticed a group of Hispanic men outside a house party and opened fire on the house, resulting in two deaths and four injuries. No proof exists that the victims were affiliated with gangs. Following the shooting, the suspects engaged police in a high-speed pursuit, crashed their vehicle, and fled the scene.
In the following month, the murder squad encountered a small group of Hispanic men outside a community center and discharged at least 18 shots, hitting one victim in the head and resulting in his death. Authorities reported that they fled in a stolen SUV, which had been soaked in gasoline earlier that day as a safety measure in case it needed to be ignited. On the next day, they came across another group and discharged at least 20 rounds in a driveway. Both victims are alive, though they sustained injuries to the neck, torso, and upper back.
In November 2018, a gang marked the birthday of a deceased member by going out hunting. During this outing, they encountered a man on the street and unleashed at least 35 shots, fatally striking him in the head.
During a press conference in October 2020, former Salinas Police Chief Adele Frése stated that the horrific events instilled deep fear in the community, particularly because the victims were “just ordinary residents of our city who happened to be in a public area while the murder squad was on the prowl.”
“These ruthless gang members have gained a living by killing innocent people,” she said. “These gang members will now have to answer to their horrific, violent crimes.”
