The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said that a person was arrested after an early morning shooting in Prunedale resulted in the death of around 100 farm animals.
According to investigators, around 3:25 a.m., the sheriff’s office began receiving calls of numerous shots being fired off of Avery Lane, a side road connected to Paradise Road. As deputies arrived, they could hear shots being fired in the area.
A shelter-in-place was issued until law enforcement was able to find the shooter and take them into custody. Only one person was taken into custody.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said that the suspect began shooting multiple weapons in and around the area. The gunman allegedly fired hundreds of rounds over three hours.
“Various calibers of weapons could be heard being fired in an area that was extremely dark and covered in thick vegetation. This made it difficult for deputies to immediately locate the person or persons responsible for firing the weapons,” said a deputy spokesperson.
Using a drone, the suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Vicente Joseph Arroyo of Salinas, was located in a crashed vehicle near 16000 Avery Lane in a vineyard.
The spokesperson also said that around 80 animals were killed, including chickens, birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, ducks, other types of birds and a miniature horse.
