2 Accused Gang Members Arrested In Thousand Palms

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Two reputed gang members were arrested when deputies served a search warrant at a Thousand Palms home in connection with a prior shooting, sheriff's officials said Saturday.

The Feb. 28 shooting occurred in an unspecified residential area of Thousand Palms, though no one was struck by the gunfire, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Heredia.

The suspect fled the scene in a vehicle but ended up crashing into a street sign before getting away on foot, he said.

Deputies found a semi-automatic 9mm handgun inside the crashed vehicle, Heredia said.

The suspect was later identified as Francisco Castro-Madera, 24, of Thousand Palms.

On Friday, deputies raided a home in the 30000 block of Monte Vista Way and arrested Castro-Madera, along with a second documented gang member, Daniel Rodriguez, 18, of Indio, officials said.

Inside the home, deputies found ammunition and another semi-automatic 9mm handgun that had been taken apart, according to Heredia.

Castro-Madera was booked into the Indio Jail on suspicion of negligent discharge of a firearm, felony evading and two counts of being a gang member in possession of a firearm. He was released after posting $100,000 bail.

Rodriguez was cited for suspicion of being a gang member in possession of a firearm and later released.

—City News Service