Authorities arrest suspect in killing of police officer in Stanislaus County
A man who was living in the country illegally and had known gang ties was arrested Friday in the fatal shooting of a police officer during a traffic stop in Stanislaus County, authorities said.
Gustavo Perez Arriaga, 32, who had prior arrests for drunk driving,
was arrested at a house in the Lamont area as he was trying to flee to Mexico, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson said at a news conference Friday.
The suspect’s 25-year-old brother, Adrian Virgen, and a coworker, 27-year-old Erik Razo Quiroz, both of whom were also in the country illegally, were arrested on Thursday on felony charges that they interfered with the investigation, authorities said. An additional three arrests were made in Kern County.
Arriaga’s previous brushes with the law and release by law enforcement prompted angry comments from the sheriff about Senate Bill 54, the state’s so-called sanctuary law that provides expanded protection for immigrants who have entered the country illegally. The law, which took effect last January, prohibits state and local police agencies from notifying federal officials in many cases when immigrants potentially subject to deportation are about to be released from custody.
“This is a criminal illegal alien with prior criminal activity that should have been reported to ICE,” Christianson said.
“Law enforcement was prohibited because of sanctuary laws, and that led to the encounter with Officer Singh. I’m suggesting that the outcome could have been different if law enforcement wasn’t restricted, prohibited or had their hands tied because of political interference.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was unable to provide any information about Arriaga’s immigration status because ICE's public affairs officers are out for the duration of the government shutdown.
At 12:57 a.m. Wednesday, Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh radioed that he was pulling over a vehicle at Merced Street and Eucalyptus Avenue in Newman, authorities said. Minutes later, he called out “shots fired” over the radio, they said.
“It was a gunfight,” Christianson said at an earlier news conference Thursday. “Cpl. Singh absolutely tried to defend himself and stop this credible threat.”
The officers who responded found Singh, 33, had been shot and the motorist he stopped was gone. Singh was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Authorities have probable cause to believe Arriaga was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the stop, Christianson said.
The sheriff said Arriaga has known gang affiliations, claiming to be a sureño, or “southerner,” a California gang with strong ties to the Mexican mafia, authorities said.
Arriaga, who has been in the country for several years, has worked in the labor industry, Christianson said.
Arriaga’s arrest comes nearly a week after a partial federal government shutdown prompted largely by a funding dispute between President Trump and the House of Representatives over funding for a border wall. Trump has made stepped-up enforcement on illegal immigration one of his administration’s top priorities.
On Thursday, the president tweeted about the Stanislaus County case: “Time to get tough on Border Security. Build the Wall!”