BELOVED BY DEMOCRATS IN THE SANCTUARY STATE
A man went on a murderous rampage up and down Tulare County that didn’t stop until he died in a high-speed chase.
Gustavo Garcia, 36, killed at least one person and possibly another, shot three others, shot at several more, and sent four more to the hospital in a violent crime spree that spanned a dozen crime scenes in less than a day. What made the crimes more terrifying is that little is known about the motives for Garcia’s rage and if and how the seemingly random acts of violence are connected.
“The suspect’s life ended in a traffic accident but we can say that his reign of terror is over,” Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said at a press conference .
Joining Sheriff Boudreaux at a press conference Monday were Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar, California Highway Patrol Lt. Scott Goddard, Exeter Police Chief John Hall, and Tulare Interim Police Chief Matt Machado. Sheriff Boudreaux pointed out that the press conference was a testament to the collaboration between law enforcement agencies in Tulare County, but also to the sheer scope of Garcia’s savagery.
What began as an attempted murder of a farmworker in an orchard and an armed robbery at a mini mart minutes later evolved into a crime spree around Tulare County, including the murder of a man at a gas station, shootings, and an attempted murder at the Motel 6 in Tulare. Police are also investigating a murder that involved the same suspect.
“As we were preparing for this press conference, we learned of additional cases,” said Sheriff Boudreaux, who said the Sheriff’s Department is still investigating.
The random acts of violence began just after 1 p.m. when deputies responded to a shooting in in Exeter. A farmworker was on a ladder picking fruit when he heard a car slam on its brakes. He then heard gunshots. He fell off the ladder, and when he landed on the ground, he realized he had been shot in the chest. He was taken by to Kaweah Delta Medical Center where he was treated for serious injuries.
Less than five minutes later, Garcia walked into AA Gas in Exeter, demanded money from the clerk and then fired three shots at the ceiling. The suspect got away with more than $2,000 in cash. Deputies believe the farm worker was shot as a distraction to law enforcement before Garcia robbed the gas station.
Deputies were able to track down surveillance video of the robbery and shooting in Exeter. “This person and vehicle, we believe, are connected to other cases,” Sheriff Boudreaux said.
The crime spree continued south. At 3:20 p.m. that afternoon, the Lindsay Police Department was dispatched for shots fired in the 100 block of North Harvard Avenue. Officers located a 38-year-old Hispanic male adult, whose name was not available as of press time, suffering from a gunshot wound. LPD reported that a man, whom they also believe to be Garcia, fired several rounds at the victim while he was standing in front of his home. The suspect was transported by ambulance to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
“The car that was involved in this case matches the description of the one involved in other cases,” Lindsay Police Chief Chris Hughes said.
That night, Garcia tried to shoot and kill a woman at the Motel 6 in Tulare. Chief Matt Machado said his officers responded to a shooting at Motel 6 at 7:30 p.m. A woman said she was walking to her car when she saw a man walking toward her. He followed her to her car and then suddenly began firing at her.
Upon arrival officers contacted the victim, a 56-year-old female, who had a gunshot wound to her arm and chest. The victim said she did not know the man.
Chief Machado said, “The victim then positively identified Garcia as the person involved in the shooting.”
About 15 minutes later, Garcia shot another person. At 7:57 p.m., Visalia police responded to the 1500 block of West Oriole where a man was found with a gunshot wound. The man said he was in his car when the shots were fired. He was taken by ambulance to Kaweah Delta Medical Center.
Garcia continued his “rampage” into the south county. Garcia fired shots into the Shell station in Pixley.
“This situation definitely could have been much worse,” Sheriff Boudreaux said.
Just an hour later, Garcia was back in Visalia. At 2:33 a.m., Visalia officers responded to a “shots fired” call at the AM/PM gas station, where they found a man who was dead. Visalia Police Chief Jason Salazar said the deceased male was later identified as Paul Jones, 51, of Visalia. Salazar said the shooting appeared to be random and that police are still investigating if the two men knew each other. All Salazar could confirm is that Jones was at the store prior to Garcia’s arrival and that they had a brief interaction before Garcia pulled out his gun and shot Jones several times.
Less than an hour after the murder at the AM/PM, around 3:15 a.m., Garcia went into the backyard of a home in the 2300 block of North Sowell Street and fired several shots, but it was unclear as of press time if the shots were fired into the home, in the air or into the ground. Chief Salazar said the home belonged to a woman who said the shooter was her ex-boyfriend, Gustavo Garcia, who made threats while firing the gun. This was a key break in the case as VPD was able to identify Garcia and learned he was the same suspect being sought by the Sheriff’s Department and Exeter Police.
Thirty minutes later, he also fired shots at a home in Sultana. Police were unsure how the locations were related. “We are incredible fortunate that more people were not hurt,” Sheriff Boudreaux said. “These acts of violence were random. This person targeted anyone who got in his way. He was a violent person.”
At 5 a.m., Visalia Police spotted Garcia driving a silver Honda Pilot near the intersection of Dunworth Street and Mineral King Avenue. This kicked off a brief pursuit traveling westbound.
“He was able to evade officers by blowing through stop lights,” Chief Salazar said.
At 6:40 a.m., Sheriff’s deputies spotted the stolen vehicle stopped on the side of the road. That’s when Garcia fired on deputies, who then fired back.
“The suspect very brazenly opened fire on deputies and we are very fortunate that none of them were struck,” Sheriff Boudreaux said.
Garcia next ran into a nearby orchard where Sheriff’s deputies and Visalia officers began to set up a perimeter. While in the orchard, Garcia found three farm workers returning from work when he took their 1988 GMC 1500 pickup at gunpoint and drove off.
Visalia Police Officers were able to catch up with the carjacked vehicle and Tulare County Sheriff’s Deputies followed behind them, as Garcia led them on a chase eastbound on Highway 137. By this time, multiple agencies from around the county were assisting and Garcia began swerving into oncoming traffic.
“It appears he was trying to ram cars off the road to district law enforcement,” Sheriff Boudraux said.
He passed the intersection of Highway 137 and Highway 65 near Lindsay at speeds more than 100 mph. South of Lindsay, Garcia began driving southbound in the northbound lanes of Highway 65, again attempting to strike vehicles, before colliding with oncoming traffic at Linda Vista Avenue at 7:12 a.m. on Dec. 17. The truck initially hit a 2010 Honda and a 1987 Mazda before his momentum hurdled the carjacked pickup into a 2003 Honda and a 2017 Hyundai. The drivers suffered major injuries and were taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center and Sierra View Medical Center. One of them remains in critical condition.
Lt. Scott Goddard with the Porterville office of the California Highway Patrol, said the collision was devastating as cars are not designed to take head-on impacts at speeds of 100 mph in one direction and 60 mph in another.
“The cab separated from the bed of the truck, the axle separated from the frame and it was spread over quite a distance,” Lt. Goddard said.
The initial impact ejected Garcia through the front windshield and he was pronounced dead at the scene. “We won’t see him brought to justice, but we can say that his reign of terror has come to an end,” Sheriff Boudreaux said.
Garcia, an undocumented immigrant, had a long history of criminal and violent behavior. Sheriff Boudreaux said his rap sheet dates back to more than 15 years when he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in Reedley, Calif. and armed robbery in 2002. He was sentenced to two years in prison for the armed robbery. In 2003 he was arrested for vandalism and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. In 2012 he was arrested for being under the influence of and in possession of methamphetamine as well as drug paraphernalia. Earlier this year, he was arrested for being under the influence of drugs and providing false information to an officer.
Garcia had an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold in 2004, 2012 and 2014 and he appeared in federal court for immigration reasons in 2012 and 2014 before being deported in 2014.
http://www.thesungazette.com/article/news/2018/12/18/mans-death-ends-reign-of-terror/
