A Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team arrested a man on California’s Pacific coast for allegedly slaughtering about 80 farm animals using various firearms for about three hours, according to a statement released Tuesday.
Vicente Joseph Arroyo, 39, of Salinas, killed “approximately 80 animals including miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other types of birds,” the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) alleged. “Some animals had survived but were taken by SPCA to be euthanized due to the severity of their injuries.”
The incident occurred around Avery Lane, a secondary road linked to Paradise Road, in Prunedale, KSBW Action News 8 reported.
Multiple reports of shots fired reached the MCSO around 3:25 a.m. Tuesday, the agency said. The alleged shootings continued as the deputies arrived on the scene, triggering a shelter-in-place order.
“I just figured a neighbor was scaring away a coyote. Second shot I heard, I thought the same thing, really not that uncommon out here,” Jason Maynard told KSBW. “And then, right after that, it was just the b-b-b-b-boom, for like 15 seconds. And then at that point, I knew something wasn’t right.” (RELATED: Police Say They Found 200 Mutilated Roosters With Knives Attached To Them In Major Cockfighting Bust)
The darkness and congested vegetation made identifying the source of the alleged shootings difficult, according to the MCSO. Drones obtained from the Seaside Fire Department and Gonzales Police Department helped the MSCO’s SWAT team spot the alleged shooter with “what appeared to be a crashed vehicle” in a vineyard, the agency said.
The MCSO allegedly retrieved “multiple long rifles, shotguns and handguns, including an unlawful assault weapon.” Authorities said law enforcement also discovered a number of loaded and empty magazines.
Arroyo surrendered and was arrested after law enforcement approached him inside an armored vehicle, according to the MCSO. The suspect has been charged with willfully and negligently discharging a firearm, animal cruelty, illegally possessing an assault weapon, criminal threats and vandalism and possessing a firearm while a felon, according to the agency.
Arroyo was booked into the Monterey County Jail with his bail set at $50,000.
No human was injured in the incident, according to deputies, KSBW reported.
