In a series of morning raids Wednesday, July 26, federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested several members and associates of a West Whittier-based gang as part of an investigation that started after one of its members gunned down two El Monte police officers on June 14, 2022, authorities said.
Authorities have charged 10 members and associates of the Quiet Village gang in a series of federal indictments, accusing them of trafficking weapons and drugs, running an illegal gambling establishment, the murder of a woman and attempted murder of two men, according to court documents.
Of the 10 people indicted, seven already were in custody, including three who were arrested Wednesday, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller. Three remain on the loose.
Search warrants were served in the San Gabriel Valley, Whittier and Kansas, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Authorities announced the arrests and charges at a press conference held Wednesday in front of the El Monte Police Station, not far from a memorial featuring fallen officers, which includes Sgt. Michael Paredes and Officer Joseph Santana, who were killed last year. Paredes, who was a corporal, was posthumously promoted to sergeant.
“Today, the El Monte Police Department, the FBI and all of our partner agencies told every American we will never stop in the pursuit of justice when the most heinous of crimes are committed that harm our communities,” El Monte Police Chief Jake Fisher said in a statement.
The gang is not accused of ordering the shootings of the two officers. But the shootings were the impetus that started the investigation.
Called “Operation Silent Cadence,” the multi-agency investigation into the gang began shortly after Justin Flores shot and killed Paredes and Santana when they and a sergeant responded to a report of a woman who was injured, possibly stabbed, at the Siesta Inn in El Monte last year. Flores, a member of the gang, fatally shot himself in…
Read the full article here
