Police arrest juvenile gang members who fired on rivals

SAN RAFAEL – Shots fired in the early hours of Easter Sunday ended with the arrest of a trio of juveniles in San Rafael.

Two separate groups of officers from the San Rafael Police Department were within earshot when blasts rang out near 400 Canal Street just before 1 a.m. April 24. According to Margo Rohrbacher, the department’s public information officer, “within less than a minute there were six officers right there.”

Witnesses indicated that the shots came from a group of juveniles who were attempting to flee on foot.

By quickly cordoning off the area, the officers were able to capture three individuals they believed to be involved in the incident, which Rohrbacher described as gang-related. One of those detained, a 16-year-old male, was carrying a handgun, and allegedly fired on members of a rival gang. There were no reported injuries from the gunfire, but shell casings and bullets of the kind used in the handgun were discovered at the scene.

All three of those arrested were minors, and were booked at the Marin Juvenile Hall. Charges against the suspects include assault with a deadly weapon, gang member in possession of a handgun, and participation in a criminal street gang. Their names were withheld because of their ages.

Police are not certain as to the specific cause of the conflict, but do not believe it was a battle over gang territory, which is not clearly delineated in the area where the crime occurred. Rohrbacher declined to identify the gangs involved, citing a general policy of not disclosing the gang affiliations of offenders.