Reports reveal new details on violence involving suspected gang members from Atwater

Newly released police reports detail a string of phone calls made between suspected Merced County gang members involving shootings, weapons and drugs sales.

A complaint filed by the Merced County District Attorney’s Office names Joaquin Flores, Robert Guthrie, Roberto Blancas-Morales, Cesar Corona and Raul Rivera Perez. Flores, Guthrie and Corona are charged in connection with a March 5 shooting. Flores, Guthrie and Blancas-Morales are charged in connection with shootings on March 24 and April 15, according to court records.

Additionally, Rivera Perez is charged with accessory for the March 24 shooting.

Flores, Corona and Rivera Perez pleaded not guilty in Merced Superior Court this week. Blancas-Morales was scheduled to be arraigned by the end of the week. Guthrie is being prosecuted in federal court.

More than 50 suspected gang members and associates were arrested in early May during “Operation Scrapbook” – including the 22-year-old “Bubba” Guthrie. Investigators have described Guthrie as an influential leader of the Sureno A-Town Locs street gang, who, they say, goes by the nickname “Bubba.”

California Department of Justice investigators worked with local law enforcement agencies for months conducting surveillance and intercepting phone calls, text messages and social media communications from Guthrie and his associates. Investigators also obtained surveillance footage that they believe shows the gang members committing a shooting.

The reports show Guthrie’s family was entrenched in the gang lifestyle and were victims of violence before gang members retaliated.

According to police reports, investigators intercepted calls on March 5 from Guthrie’s sister, Tessa Deleon, 26, telling her brother that she and another gang member were shot at by at least one person in a passing car by Jack in the Box in Atwater.

Reports say Deleon told Guthrie two members of the Delhi Locos Norteno street gang saw her passenger, a known juvenile A-Town Locos member, and began shooting at her car. “...they tried to smoke us. They shot my car,” she told Guthrie, according to the investigation reports.

Reports indicate Deleon then called Joaquin Flores, another A-Town gang leader, to recount the story to him: “Those fools from Delhi Locs. We were just driving... I pulled up next to them at the stop light. (They) looked at us, got behind us and started driving hella crazy so I started driving fast. (They) pulled up beside us and just started dumping,” according to documents.

In their reports, investigators said the calls show Deleon’s knowledge and direct involvement in the gang’s criminal activities.

Later, investigators intercepted a conversation between Flores and Guthrie. “...Your sister needs to stop hanging out with the homies bud (sic). She is going to burn her car,” Flores tells Guthrie in the police report.

Flores also warns Deleon that the rival gang members won’t take into consideration that she has children, the reports say.

After Deleon’s car was shot at, investigators intercepted multiple calls between gang members discussing the incident and making plans to buy guns. Investigators followed Guthrie as he met with a growing number of people, according to police reports.

Later that night, Merced County Sheriff’s Office received reports of a shooting at a Winton home where the two Delhi Locos gang members lived. The same night, Guthrie posted a Facebook status and deleted it minutes later. “We promote violence in my neck of the woods,” the post read, according to authorities.

According to police reports, on March 6, investigators collected bullet casings from the scene. They obtained surveillance footage of the shooting and were able to identify the shooter as the passenger in Deleon’s vehicle. On March 7, investigators intercepted calls from Guthrie discussing the incident.

Investigators believed the calls were significant because, they said, the calls show Guthrie had direct knowledge of the shooting, he identifies the shooter and the calls suggest an ongoing feud between the gang “destined to lead to another shooting,” reports say.

“The brazen and reckless attacks are meant to bolster the reputation of the gang and strike fear in their rivals and any would be witnesses,” the report says.

The reports detail surveillance footage and communications about multiple gun and drug sales and connects the A-Town gang members to additional shootings on March 24 and April 15, police say.

Deputy District Attorney Michael McKinney said the defendants will be tried together. “They reason they’re all charged together is because of the overarching gang structure and how these crimes were perpetrated,” he said.

Judge Ronald W. Hanson refused to release Flores and Corona from jail on electronic monitors and increased their bail to $1 million. Rivera Perez also was denied release on an electronic monitor, and his bail remained at $150,000. Blancas-Morales also remains in jail on $1 million.

The defendants are due back in court for preliminary hearings next month.

This story was originally published June 1, 2017 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Reports reveal new details on violence involving suspected gang members from Atwater."