Two men were arrested on Friday after a firearms related search warrant was executed by the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force in Thousand Palms.
The warrant was served at a residence on Monte Vista, according to a news release. The warrant stemmed from a follow-up investigation into a shooting that occurred on February 28th, also in Thousand Palms. During that incident, shots were fired by the suspect in a residential area. No victims were struck by the gunfire.
The suspect fled the scene of the shooting in a vehicle and led Sheriff’s Department Deputies on a short pursuit that ended when the suspect crashed into a street sign. The suspect fled the scene of the crash on foot and was not apprehended.
Deputies located a 9mm semi-auto handgun inside the crashed vehicle. The suspect was subsequently identified as documented gang member, Francisco Castro-Madera, 24 of Thousand Palms.
During Friday’s search warrant, Gang Task Force Officers located a 9mm semi-auto handgun that had been taken apart, and ammunition at the residence. Gang Task Force Officers arrested Castro-Madera and a second documented gang member, Daniel Rodriguez, 18 of Indio.
Castro-Madera was charged with Negligent Discharge of a Firearm, Felony Evading and two counts of being a Gang Member in Possession of a Firearm. Rodriguez was charged with being a Gang Member in Possession of a Firearm. Both Castro-Madera and Rodriguez were booked at the Indio Jail.
