OXNARD : 9 Arrested in Raid on Gang Members

Responding to a rise in drive-by shootings and gang violence, the Oxnard Police Department on Friday led a multi-agency sweep of residences of 21 south Oxnard gang members, arresting six adults and three juveniles on various charges.

A force of 30 Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Santa Paula police officers and county probation officers seized two handguns, a shotgun and a small amount of cocaine in the raid, said Oxnard Police Sgt. Charles Hookstra.

The sweep was the fourth this year in the department’s stepped-up surveillance of gang members, Hookstra said. The raids--conducted without search warrants--are authorized by the terms of probation imposed on gang members after criminal convictions.

Hookstra, who supervises Oxnard’s field tactical unit, said the department’s gang specialists ordered the dawn raids because of a rise in incidents over the last six months, including two recent homicides in south Oxnard.

“It seems like every weekend there’s something going on,” Hookstra said. “For as small as this raid was, we got good results.”

Arrested were Richard Sequedo, 23, on four misdemeanor warrants; Juanita Ramirez, 22, on two felony warrants; Juan Rojelio, 19, for possession of a loaded shotgun; Cesar Veronica, 19, for violation of probation; Henry Hernandez Sr., 37, for violation of parole, and Henry Hernandez Jr., 20, on two misdemeanor warrants and cocaine possession.

Also arrested were three juveniles--two 17-year-old boys for violation of probation and a 14-year-old for possessing a stolen firearm, Hookstra said.