20+ People, Including Correctional Officer, Arrested In Stockton Gang Sweep
STOCKTON (CBS13) – Police and other agencies have announced the results of a gang task force sweep.
Tactical vehicles were spotted in Stockton area neighborhoods on Wednesday as authorities searched for gang members, drugs and weapons.
At Thursday's press conference, police announced that the sweep targeted members of the North Side Gangster Crips. Investigators say members of the gang have been buying drugs in Stockton and transporting them to Nevada where it can be sold for higher prices.
Further, authorities said their investigation revealed that gang members were buying guns in Nevada, then taking them back to Stockton.
Law enforcement officers for a multitude of different agencies (including the FBI, the San Joaquin County DA, Homeland Security, Tracy Police, ATF, DEA and several Nevada agencies) participated in the sweep. A total of 16 homes were searched in Stockton on Wednesday, while another 6 were searched in Reno.
The sweep resulted in the arrest of 12 people in Stockton - including San Joaquin County Correctional Officer Ashley Johnson.
Another 11 people, all documented members of North Side Gangster Crips, were arrested in Reno.
"I want to reinforce that those groups, who continue to commit acts of gun violence in our community, will continue to be identified and will be
the focus of the law enforcement community, as was the case with the NSGC," said Stockton's Chief of Police Eric Jones.
One man we spoke to on Wednesday claimed police mistakenly forced their way into his house and took cell phones and electronics.
Officers disagreed, telling CBS13 they had the correct home and they did collect evidence.
Gang operations in the past resulted in dozens of arrests. Police arrested 76 people in 2015 and made 52 arrests last year.
