Three Porterville men arrested in Terra Bella shooting

Three suspected Porterville gang members have been arrested in connection with a shooting that occurred New Year’s Eve in Terra Bella.

Marcos Vargas, 19, Jose Alvarado and a 17-year-old have all been booked into the Tulare County main jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and street gang terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Department continues to investigate the incident. The three men allegedly shot at a man while he drove in the Terra Bella area.

Neither the victim or the victim’s vehicle were struck, according to a TCSD report.

The TCSD apprehended the suspects by working in conjunction with the Porterville Police Department, which was interviewing a juvenile with a non life threatening gunshot wound, who sought treatment at Sierra View District Hospital.

According to the TCSD report, investigators determined during the interview that the teenager was one of the three suspects wanted in connection with the shooting. The juvenile was booked following treatment for the gunshot wound.

Vargas and Alvarado were subsequently apprehended after the PPD stopped them during a sobriety check point.
According to the TCSD, gang officers also served search warrants in the 400 block of Date and 11 block of West Street in Porterville, and found three firearms, including the suspected firearm used in the shooting, and numerous items of gang indicia.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation or any type of gang activity in Tulare County is asked to contact the TCSD Gang Violence Suppression Unit at 1-888-363-4264.

Contact The Recorder newsroom at 784-5000, Ext. 1050