A California man was arrested Tuesday following a three-hour shooting spree that killed dozens of animals and forced local residents to shelter in place, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Vicente Joseph Arroyo, 39, was booked on charges including cruelty to animals and willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence after deputies say he randomly fired multiple weapons and killed about 80 animals.
Authorities began receiving calls at about 3:25 a.m. on Tuesday reporting gunshots in the unincorporated community of Prunedale, some 38 miles south of San Jose, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies who responded to the scene continued to hear gunshots and ordered residents within a five-mile radius to shelter in place.
Monterey County Sheriff’s Office
Deputies could hear various weapons being fired in an area with thick vegetation, but they could not immediately locate the shooter, the sheriff’s office said.
As the sun began to rise, a drone was eventually able to locate Arroyo in a vineyard next to a crashed vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken into custody without further incident.
Deputies said multiple animals were shot and killed, including miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other types of birds. Some animals survived the shooting but had to be euthanized due to the severity of their injuries.
Five rifles, a shotgun, a handgun and approximately 2,000 rounds of ammunition were allegedly seized during a search of Arroyo’s home and associated buildings. The handgun and one of the rifles allegedly did not have serial numbers.
“It is without a doubt that the warrant served by our deputies and detectives, which has resulted in the seizure of these additional weapons, has made our community safer,” Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto said in the press release. “I am confident that we have prevented another tragedy from happening in the future.”
Arroyo is being held on $1,000,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 18. HuffPost could not immediately identify an attorney representing him.
