Merced gang member arrested for carjacking
Even though the victim’s car was found hundreds of miles away, a Merced carjacker was arrested much closer to the crime scene on August 29th.
21-year-old Gonzalo Leovardo Barriga, Jr. was arrested that day for forcefully stealing a Merced man’s vehicle on August 12th.
Gonzalo Leovardo Barriga, Jr.
The victim was originally driving his car around the intersection of West 4th Street and R Street when Barriga approached the vehicle and punched the victim in the face. While the victim initially defended himself against the attack, Barriga reached towards his own waist as if to pull out a gun and the victim relinquished the vehicle without any further resistance.
Over two weeks after the victim reported the carjacking to police, detectives located Barriga on the 1200 block of Bellevue Road in nearby Atwater and arrested to him. While in custody, Barriga, a documented gang member, admitted to stealing the vehicle.
The vehicle itself was found after the incident in Riverside County. Barriga was booked at the Merced County Sheriff’s Correctional Facility for robbery. Inquiries about this incident were not immediately returned by the Merced Police Department.
Police Officers are asking anyone with any information regarding this incident to contact Detective Solis at (209) 385- 4703, or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at (209) 385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text messages to police department by dialing “TIP411” (847411) and including the word “ComVIP” as the “keyword” in the text message.
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Merced Sun-Star: Carjacking suspect arrested in Atwater
