VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) — Two suspected gang members were arrested Sunday morning after a string of vehicle thefts and burglaries in Visalia led to the resolution of 11 criminal cases, according to the Visalia Police Department.
Just before 6:50 a.m., officers responded to a stolen vehicle report on the 5000 block of West Elkhorn Avenue. Surveillance footage from a Ring camera showed one of the suspects walking away from the scene wearing a hoodie and a mask.
Further video evidence captured the same suspects attempting to break into vehicles in the area and stealing from unlocked cars, including credit cards. Police received five theft reports in the neighborhood that same morning.
By 7:30 a.m., investigators traced one of the stolen credit cards to a transaction at Walmart on Mooney Boulevard, where surveillance video helped identify the suspects as Luis Arredondo, 19, and Juan Rivera Mendoza, 20.
Officers arrested Arredondo near Houston Avenue and Rinaldi Street, and later located Mendoza at a home on the 200 block of NW 2nd Street. A search of the residence revealed a stolen firearm, an unserialized AR-15 rifle, and additional evidence linked to multiple vehicle burglaries.
Both men were booked on numerous charges, including:
Vehicle theft
Grand theft
Identity theft
Three counts of attempted vehicle theft
Repeat theft offenses
Mendoza faces additional firearm-related charges. Police confirmed both suspects are documented Norteño gang members.
Thanks to the arrests, Visalia police say they’ve solved:
7 vehicle thefts and burglaries
4 attempted vehicle thefts
Recovered 1 stolen vehicle
The investigation remains ongoing.
