Gunfire Reportedly Strikes Vehicle with Woman and Children Inside; Two Arrested
Photo: Stock Image
MADERA, CA — Officers with the Madera Police Department have recently arrested two individuals in connection with an incident in which gunfire allegedly struck a vehicle being driven by a mother with her two children inside.
According to a press release by the Madera Police Department, officers responded on the evening of November 14 to the 900 block of S. Gateway Drive after reports of an assault with a deadly weapon. The victim reported that she was driving into the alleyway of her apartment complex with her two young children when gunfire struck her vehicle.
The victim fled the area in her car and contacted authorities, police said.
Investigators reportedly found bullet damage to the vehicle, with one shot narrowly missing a child in the rear seat.
Detectives began an investigation at the scene, interviewing witnesses and collecting surveillance footage, which provided details about a suspect and a possible suspect vehicle.
The following day, November 15, detectives reportedly located the suspect vehicle near the scene of the shooting. Two individuals inside the vehicle were identified as Eduardo Ochoa Villegas, 19, and Oliver Vasquez Hernandez, 39, both Madera residents.
A firearm believed to be connected to the shooting was found during a search of the vehicle.
Subsequently, a search warrant was executed at Ochoa Villegas’ residence, leading to the collection of additional evidence.
Ochoa Villegas was arrested and booked into the Madera County jail on suspicion of attempted homicide, weapons violations, and drug-related offenses. Vasquez Hernandez was also arrested and booked on weapons-related charges.
The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
