San Jose officials held a press briefing on Friday to announce arrests in a homicide investigation.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good morning, good morning, does everybody have sound?
00:05Thank you all for your patience, I know we started a couple minutes late, but we have
00:08this many people, it takes a lot of logistics, so if everybody has sound, we'll go ahead
00:13and we're going to get started here.
00:15You're going to hear from a couple of different speakers today, you're going to hear from
00:17SGPD Chief Paul Joseph, followed by Mayor Matt Mahan, followed by Mayor Monterey County
00:22Sheriff Tina Nieto, Greenfield PD Captain Andres Paredes, King City PD Sergeant Partida,
00:27and then we'll circle back for Q&A with SGPD Chief Joseph.
00:31I did want to take an opportunity, we have a lot of people here and I apologize if I
00:34missed somebody, but I did want to make sure that we acknowledge those in attendance.
00:36We do have Monterey County Chief District Attorney Investigator Ryan McGurk here, Greenfield
00:41PD Detective Armando Lerma, Greenfield PD Officer Joseph Dials, King City PD Detective
00:46Javier Zavala, CDCR Special Agent in Charge Edgar Ramos, CDCR Special Agent Fernando Mata,
00:51Salinas PD Officer Yolanda Rocha, Salinas PD Sergeant Anthony Garcia, and San Jose Council
00:56Member Rosemary Kamei.
00:57So I wanted to make sure we had an opportunity to address them, they all came a long way
01:01to be here to be at this press conference, so if everybody's good, we'll go ahead and
01:03get started.
01:04All right, Chief Joseph, please.
01:07Good morning, thank you all for being here.
01:12On the morning of January 11th, eight members of a ruthless gang left their homes in two
01:16different counties and traveled to San Jose.
01:20They were armed with firearms and motivated to find and kill rival gang members.
01:25They targeted a specific San Jose neighborhood with their evil intent.
01:28Their victim, however, would be random and not personally known to the suspects.
01:33A 27-year-old victim was shot by these individuals who placed no value on human life and without
01:38hesitation took his.
01:41They subsequently left San Jose as if they had attended a concert or a sporting event,
01:45believing they had covered their tracks.
01:47They never thought they would answer for their carefully planned game of assassination roulette.
01:52Just before dawn this Wednesday, they learned how wrong they were.
01:56San Jose police officers, alongside nearly a dozen of our law enforcement partners, came
02:00crashing through their doors, seeking suspects, evidence, and justice for a victim whose life
02:06was lost.
02:07San Jose is a great place to visit, but if you come here to commit violence and you take
02:11a life, we will come visit you.
02:16Each of the individuals were taken into custody in a large-scale, coordinated takedown operation,
02:21often marked by an overwhelming response of historic scope that was necessary to confront
02:26the exceptionally violent gang in their own backyard.
02:29I want to recognize that justice for this crime was only possible because of the relentless
02:33commitment of our officers, investigators, and partner agencies.
02:37Since January 11th, they have poured countless hours into this investigation and continue
02:42to do so as I speak.
02:44Their tireless efforts and unwavering dedication have brought us to this moment.
02:49This successful takedown operation would also not have been possible without our coalition
02:52of law enforcement partners, including the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation,
02:57Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, the Monterey County District Attorney's Office,
03:02King City Police Department, Greenfield Police Department, Salinas Police Department, Watsonville
03:07Police Department, Monterey County Sheriff's Office, Sacramento County Sheriff's Office,
03:11Sacramento Police Department, and of course, our own San Jose Special Operations Division.
03:16In addition to the agencies mentioned, we deployed seven SWAT teams, including our Merge
03:21Unit, the Sacramento County Sheriff's SWAT Team, the Sacramento Police Department SWAT
03:24Team, Sacramento's Career Criminal Apprehension Team, the CDCR Team, Monterey Peninsula Special
03:32Response Unit, Salinas SWAT Team.
03:34We mobilized our Covert Response Unit and the entire Special Operations Division, along
03:38with detectives from across the entire San Jose PD Bureau of Investigations.
03:44In total, over 100 San Jose officers were involved in the takedown operation.
03:49In total, we searched 14 residences, at least 20 vehicles, and conducted searches of seven
03:53prison cells.
03:55Evidence collected at these locations included two rifles, one handgun, and a shotgun.
04:01Today's announcement follows a three-month homicide investigation targeting a violent
04:05gang operating out of Soledad, King City, and Greenfield.
04:10These individuals and others in their network carried out a reign of brutality across Monterey
04:15County.
04:16The culture of senseless recreational killing is not just disturbing, it's truly evil.
04:21The suspects are believed to belong to a Norteno Street gang as part of a smaller subset that
04:25deserves no notoriety.
04:27The name of the gang may be common, but their actions were anything but.
04:31The gang unleashed terror on their communities and believed they could do the same in San
04:35Jose.
04:36On Wednesday, they learned they were wrong.
04:39Our detectives dug in, as they always do.
04:41A key break in the case came through video surveillance and automated license plate reader
04:45cameras, which began to piece together clues that the suspects were part of a violent criminal
04:49street gang from the city of Greenfield, a small inland town about 80 miles southwest
04:54of San Jose.
04:56This same gang is responsible for multiple violent crimes in Monterey County, including
05:00a quadruple murder last March, where they shot a total of 11 people, and a double homicide
05:05the previous month.
05:07Members from this gang are also responsible for the shooting of a six-year-old child at
05:11a baptism, struck in the leg while surrounded by family during a sacred celebration.
05:17Another of the eight, Adion Pineda-Juarez, was also involved in another homicide in Monterey
05:22County in February, after the senseless killing in San Jose in January.
05:27He was apprehended sometime after that incident and remains in custody in Monterey County.
05:32These eight young adults bought into a sick fantasy peddled by gangs to our youth, that
05:37there are no consequences for their actions.
05:40Their prolific violence escalated with an arrogance that they could take it on the road
05:43with impunity.
05:45To the people of San Jose, I want you to know, we have stopped their reign of terror.
05:50They will not be returning to San Jose.
05:53Make no mistake, this case is far from over.
05:56The investigation continues, requiring us to sift through massive amounts of digital
06:00evidence, records, physical evidence, which helped us track their planning, movements,
06:05and intent.
06:06These technologies, combined with relentless investigative work, helped us prevent further
06:11bloodshed.
06:13The eight suspects charged with murder, displayed on the screen to my right, are 18, 19, and
06:1820 years of age.
06:20This tragic but familiar evidence is yet another example of the rise in youth violence in our
06:24community and beyond.
06:27These young people embraced a world of violence that turned them into executioners for a cause
06:31that will never serve them.
06:34We cannot allow this to be the future of our young people.
06:36We will not let this be their legacy.
06:39To our partners in Monterey County and Sacramento County, your intelligence gathering, coordination,
06:44and determination were indispensable.
06:46We could not have done this without you.
06:48To the people of San Jose, these are the lengths your police department will go to seek justice
06:53and ensure our city remains safe for everyone.
06:56And to those who think they can bring their violence here, let this be your warning.
07:00We are ready.
07:01We are united.
07:02We will stop at nothing to apprehend you.
07:05Do not come to San Jose.
07:09And now I'll turn it over to San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
07:14Thank you, Chief.
07:15Good morning, everyone.
07:16Thank you for being here.
07:18First thanks to our San Jose Police Department.
07:21Chief, we are so proud of you in this department.
07:25You have once again not only made our city safer, but our entire region.
07:31Our communities from Monterey to Sacramento are safer because of the incredible work of
07:36this department.
07:37Today, we're here to talk about the first homicide in San Jose of this year, and it
07:44was not a random act.
07:45It was a premeditated attack by a violent gang committed by young people just 18 to
07:5220 years old who traveled nearly 100 miles from either direction with the sole intent
07:59of committing harm.
08:01This is yet another reminder that crime knows no borders.
08:05Let me be clear.
08:08As the Chief said, these suspects made a mistake coming to San Jose.
08:13They thought they could bring their violence here and get away with it.
08:17Well, they were wrong.
08:20Our department teamed up with agencies represented here today and created a massive, coordinated
08:26effort across multiple jurisdictions involving over 14 residential search warrants and numerous
08:32tactical teams.
08:35This investigation not only led to arrest, it also led to the recovery and removal of
08:40several guns that may have been used in past and could be used in future crimes.
08:46The scale of this operation is a direct reflection of how seriously we take public safety in
08:52San Jose.
08:54I'm grateful to the San Jose Police Department, especially our Special Operations Division
09:00and Merge Unit crew, our detectives, our crime analysts, and everyone in this department
09:06who helped make these arrests possible.
09:10And I want to thank all of our partners in this effort, including the California Department
09:15of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the district attorneys of both Monterey and Santa Clara
09:21counties, and law enforcement partners from Greenfield, King City, Salinas, Watsonville,
09:27my hometown, Sacramento, and beyond.
09:32Thank you to all of our partners.
09:34I'm grateful to you for your commitment to justice and public safety.
09:39So I want to acknowledge and thank Councilmember Kamei, who is standing here in support today
09:44and I know was monitoring this case very closely.
09:47It's always hard to be an elected representative and have someone harmed in your community
09:52and so often feel powerless to do anything about it.
09:56But thanks to our department and the great work of our police officers and detectives
10:02and other members of the department, we're not helpless.
10:07We're feeling empowered today to keep our community safe because of an incredible partnership.
10:12I think this case underscores two things.
10:14First, the incredible professionalism, collaboration, and reach of our law enforcement teams.
10:21This is how we get the job done.
10:23And once again, I just want to thank all of the agencies who came together and did tremendous
10:27police work.
10:28Second, I think it highlights the urgent need we have to address how young lives are being
10:34impacted by gangs and consumed by cycles of violence.
10:39We as a society need to do more to intervene earlier, to disrupt these cycles, to find
10:45more productive and constructive pathways for our young people, but also ensure accountability
10:51when young people are making terrible decisions.
10:56To the residents of San Jose, your safety remains our top priority.
11:00We will not allow gangs, regardless of where they come from, to threaten our neighborhoods.
11:06And to those who think they can commit violence here, know this.
11:11You will be found, you will be held accountable, you will face justice.
11:18Again, to our department and all of our partners here.
11:22Before I pass things over to Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto, I'd like to just say a
11:27few words in Spanish for our Spanish-language media.
11:30Una pandilla violenta vino a San Jose y cometió el primer homicidio del año 2025.
11:40Nuestro departamento de policÃa arrestó rápido a los responsables y quitó varias
11:47armas de las calles.
11:50Varias agencias trabajaron juntas y damos las gracias por su ayuda.
11:57San Jose no va a permitir violencia.
12:02Los que hagan daño aquà tendrán consecuencias.
12:07Gracias a nuestro departamento de policÃa y sus socios en otras agencias.
12:14Gracias a todos.
12:15So with that, I'd like to turn the mic over to Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto.
12:20Thank you, Sheriff.
12:22Good morning, everybody.
12:24I'm Tina Nieto, the Monterey County Sheriff.
12:27But I want to say on behalf of all the sheriffs in the state of California, especially Jim
12:30Cooper in Sacramento, we are here to answer the call.
12:36We're here to answer the call when it comes to violence in our communities.
12:40Some of us up here have been around forever.
12:42I'm in my fourth decade in law enforcement.
12:46And one thing I want to say about San Jose is that it's refreshing to see a mayor who
12:51supports public safety, to see a council that supports public safety.
12:55Because we all know what happens when we have elected officials that don't stand with their
13:00law enforcement partners.
13:02Because we all want better communities for our children, for our families, and for our
13:07neighbors.
13:08And here in San Jose, you have that kind of elected officials.
13:12So thank you, Mr. Mayor.
13:15You also have a chief of police, Chief Joseph, who also cares about public safety.
13:21And when he reached out and said, look, this is a lot bigger.
13:25And in my county, we dealt with the King City massacre.
13:29I call that a mass shooting that didn't garner a lot of national attention, but affected
13:36an entire community in our south county, Greenville, Soledad, King City, which affects families.
13:44We saw the tragedy of watching the mothers, the children, crying when we had the people
13:50killed because of the violence of the gangs that we're having.
13:54People need to pay attention.
13:55We need to support our law enforcement because we've seen the cycles when we don't do that.
14:01And we've seen what happens in our communities when we don't do that.
14:05And fortunately, maybe we're entering this cycle, and hopefully we'll get out of it quickly
14:11with people's support.
14:14So Monterey County Sheriff's was there again.
14:15I'm not going to get into all the details because Chief Joseph talked about it.
14:21But I'm just here to thank.
14:22Thank everybody, to thank all the partners who've helped my county be safer as a result.
14:29Because the search warrants were done in Monterey County, 14 locations.
14:33It took quite a coordinated effort of all the investigators.
14:37And to the investigators, San Jose investigators especially, thank you.
14:41Because I know how many hours were put into doing the search warrants.
14:45To the DA's offices and the investigators in the DA's office, thank you.
14:51For those who don't know, these are hours and hours of work of getting these things
14:54done so that we can go in through the front door and make our community safer.
15:00Our community is safer because of the things that happened on that day.
15:07So we'd like to thank the San Jose Police Department and all our law enforcement partners
15:11who are involved and continue to stand ready to assist in any future joint operations.
15:17Chief Joseph, Mayor, whenever the call goes out, Monterey County is here to answer it.
15:24We want to thank you for helping keep our community safer.
15:27We're a better community today because of the actions of your people and everybody else
15:32here.
15:33So thank you.
15:37All right.
15:38I'll take questions.
15:39Oh, I'm sorry.
15:40I apologize.
15:41I will not take questions.
15:42Good morning.
15:43Captain Andres Paredes from Greenfield Police Department.
15:54First I would like to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude to all the agencies that
15:58have come together.
16:02This was a team effort, and it was great to see so many agencies come together.
16:06The dedication, hard work, and unwavering commitment to public safety are truly invaluable.
16:13Thanks to the collected efforts, our communities are safer today.
16:18Greenfield may be a small city, but it's a strong and resilient one.
16:22We understand the true safety and the progress that come from working together, not just
16:26in law enforcement agencies, but it's an entire community.
16:30As we continue our mission, I encourage families to stay engaged with our youth.
16:36Gangs truly are a major threat to our peaceful communities.
16:40That's why prevention, mentorship, and support are critical in shaping the future of our
16:45young people.
16:47It takes all of us, law enforcement, educators, community leaders, and most importantly, families
16:55to guide our youth toward positive and proactive paths.
17:00Let's continue building upon this partnership and remain committed to fostering a safe and
17:05stronger future for our community.
17:07Thank you for your continued support.
17:10Good morning, I'm Detective Sergeant Partita from the King City Police Department.
17:21On February 28, 2025 at approximately 9.30 p.m., a 17-year-old male was riding his bicycle
17:27in the 500 block of North 3rd Street in King City and was shot several times by multiple
17:31assailants.
17:34The suspects approached the victim, brandished firearms, and opened fire before fleeing
17:37the scene on foot.
17:39Officers from the King City Police Department responded promptly, locating the victim conscious
17:44and alert.
17:46Emergency medical personnel provided aid at the scene before transferring him to Natividad
17:49Medical Center in Salinas, California, where he was later succumbed to his injuries.
17:54During the subsequent investigation, residents reported suspicious individuals entering backyards
18:00in the area.
18:02In response from the King City Police Department, Greenfield Police Department, Soledad Police
18:06Department, and the Monterey County Sheriff's Office initiated a coordinated search effort
18:10utilizing aerial drone surveillance.
18:13Law enforcement successfully located and detained four individuals, including 20-year-old Adrian
18:17Pineda-Juarez of Greenfield and three male juveniles.
18:21The suspects were found in possession of two firearms matching the type that was used
18:25in the murder.
18:26A fifth suspect was later apprehended at a residence in King City.
18:30Four juveniles were booked into the Monterey County General Detention Center while Juarez
18:34was booked into the Monterey County Jail.
18:36Charges against these suspects include homicide, conspiracy, and participation in criminal
18:41activities associated with criminal street gangs.
18:45Through further investigations, it was determined that the individuals involved in this homicide
18:49were affiliated with a faction of the Norteño criminal street gang.
18:53Additional investigative efforts linked this case to a separate homicide in the City of
18:56San Jose.
18:58In response to these findings, the King City Police Department, in collaboration with allied
19:02law enforcement agencies, developed a strategic operation to address the connected gang-related
19:08violence and criminal activity in the region.
19:11On April 2nd, 2025, law enforcement executed a multi-agency operation in the cities of
19:15Sacramento, Soledad, Greenfield, and King City.
19:19Police conducted searches at 20 locations tied to the Norteño faction, resulting in
19:24the collection of critical evidence and the arrest of multiple individuals involved in
19:29violent crime.
19:32This included an arrest warrant for Damian Pereira on a 2023 attempted murder in the
19:35City of King.
19:37The King City Police Department extends its deepest gratitude to all the partnering agencies
19:41for their dedication and collaboration in ensuring the success of this operation.
19:46Our efforts underscore a steadfast commitment to protecting our communities and holding
19:50those responsible for violent crimes accountable.
19:53All right.
19:54Now, I will take some questions.
19:55Chief, are we – I know we were here not too long ago talking about gang members who
19:56had come in and basically terrorizing neighbors, people of color in the neighborhood, I think
19:57Councilmember Kamei's district.
19:58They had come from somewhere else.
19:59We're seeing these gang members come from somewhere else.
20:00Are we seeing these gang members come from somewhere else?
20:01I think what you're seeing is that crime knows no boundaries.
20:28Criminals don't stick to one city.
20:30I mean, when you have a group that's operating from Sacramento to King City, that's a vast
20:34area, and it's unfortunate that they happened to come to San Jose.
20:39It's unfortunate, obviously, for this victim and his family and our community that they
20:42chose to bring that violence to our community, but through the cooperative efforts of everybody
20:48you see here and all these agencies and all these detectives and analysts, we were able
20:52to bring them to justice.
20:53Can you give a little clarification on the San Jose crime?
20:58So you said targeted the neighborhood, but they didn't know the guy.
21:01Could you just clarify on that a little bit?
21:03So without getting into the very specific details, we believe that they came to San
21:08Jose looking for what they considered to be a rival gang member.
21:13They drove to an area where they expected to find such a person, and they selected this
21:17victim.
21:18Why they selected him specifically, I couldn't tell you, but that's what we believe the motivation
21:22was.
21:23He didn't have any gang affiliation, the victim.
21:28That's something that we're trying to sort out.
21:29We're not certain of what the victim's gang affiliation may or may not have been.
21:33There have been six homicides so far in San Jose.
21:36How many have been resolved?
21:39I believe three of the six so far, but we're very, you know, we're putting, obviously,
21:44we put, you can see, we put every resource available into solving these.
21:48We've had a great success rate.
21:49We've been at 100 percent several years running, and we're optimistic we're going to have the
21:53same this year.
21:55So you talked a lot about how, you know, the role collaboration work in this, but also
21:59it sounds like technology had a big role.
22:00Can you talk a little bit more about that?
22:02Absolutely.
22:03Without technology, we would not have been able to solve this case, certainly not as
22:05quickly as we did.
22:07So you know, I've talked a lot, the mayor has talked a lot, the council has supported
22:10us on this.
22:11We have to lean on technology to be effective, to be efficient.
22:15The license plate reader camera program, which we launched several years ago, was critical
22:20in helping us solve this case.
22:21It's an absolute game-changer for San Jose and any other community that has used it,
22:25and we're branching out into even further areas with our real-time intelligence center
22:29and any technological advantage we think can help us keep our community safe.
22:33You had mentioned...
22:34I'll come back to you in just one second.
22:37Go ahead, sir.
22:38So the guy that was killed, he wasn't a target for these gang members, but you don't know
22:45if he was involved in any gang activity.
22:49When they shot him, he was not sought by law enforcement, and he didn't have anything to
22:54do with any of the activities of these gangs?
22:59Well, he was not wanted by law enforcement.
23:02He was not sought by us for any criminal activity on his part.
23:07We don't know exactly why he was selected as a victim, other than to say he was in a
23:10neighborhood where these suspects believed they would find somebody who was a rival gang
23:15member.
23:17He's not a rival gang member.
23:19We're still sorting out exactly what, if any, gang involvement he had, and I don't mean
23:23to imply that he did.
23:24We don't know.
23:25We don't know for sure.
23:26Yes, sir.
23:27And we'll come back to you.
23:28In this gang, there's a subset of Norteños, these eight men, is that correct?
23:31Yes.
23:32And they're based out of Greenfield, but they operate all the way south from King City up
23:34to Sac?
23:35Is that correct?
23:36You know, maybe Sheriff Nido could shed a little more light on this particular subset.
23:39I don't like to give any gang notoriety, but just a little bit of the history.
23:44Captain.
23:46As the Chief said, gangs don't, they may geographically be in a certain area, but when
23:52they commit crimes, they know no boundaries.
23:55They go to the places that they think they're not going to get caught, and we've been really
23:59successful in Monterey catching people committing violent crime.
24:04And when agencies are successful in doing stuff, they go to areas that they think they
24:08might get away with it.
24:10And obviously, San Jose's not the place to go, because they catch them in San Jose.
24:15So this is pretty common for these type of gangs, these Hispanic gangs, that they will
24:24travel up and down California.
24:27We see it all the time.
24:29You hear about it in the news.
24:30So this is not unusual.
24:33This is just what they do.
24:35The group that we're talking about, they had been plaguing Monterey County for how long?
24:44It's the same group, you believe?
24:46We believe it's all connected across the state and since the King City.
24:51So it started in Monterey with a double homicide, which then later we had the mass shooting
24:56that occurred.
24:58Those suspects were taken into custody and are in the Monterey County Jail going through
25:01the justice system.
25:03However, those are the ones involved in that crime, but they're part of a bigger gang,
25:08even if it's a smaller gang.
25:10And so when gang activity like that happens, it's really important for our communities
25:14to get involved, to create resources for young people in our communities so that they don't
25:22join these gangs.
25:23And they don't, as we call it, put their time in the gangs, which include committing violent
25:28crime.
25:29But to be clear, there had been arrests made in some of those crimes?
25:32That's correct.
25:33We had arrested the ones responsible for the crimes.
25:36With the last one, though, that was interconnected with the one person on the bike that was
25:40shot, but that person's also in custody.
25:43Chief, it's been almost three months since this homicide happened here in San Jose.
25:52What was the victim's family's reaction when you gave them the call or the detectives gave
25:56them the call to tell them about these arrests?
25:59You know, I don't have that specific, I don't know specifically how they reacted, but I
26:03think that any time, you know, you're never going to make a family whole.
26:07You're never going to undo what's been done.
26:09You're never going to heal the wound that a tragedy like this causes.
26:12But at the minimum, at least, we've given them some sense of justice, I hope, and some
26:17sense of closure, and some sense of feeling that this crime did not go unpunished.
26:22The people responsible are going to be held accountable.
26:24All right.
26:25If anybody has any additional questions, please feel free to email me.
26:28I know everybody has my email.
26:29We've kind of contacted all of you.
26:30I appreciate everybody coming out and covering the story.
26:31Thank you very much.
26:32Have a great day.