Four people arrested, guns seized in separate Los Banos shooting investigations

Los Banos police on Wednesday arrested four people while investigating recent separate and unrelated shooting cases, officers said in a statement.

Police arrested Carlos Torres, a 20-year-old Los Banos man and suspected gang member who investigators said opened fire July 14 on two rival gang members in the 200 block of G Street. Torres was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of attempted murder at a home on North Santa Rita Street in Los Banos, police said in the statement.

In a separate investigation, police on Wednesday also arrested Izaiah Bermea, 21, in connection with an attack on July 16 at a gas station on Pacheco Boulevard, officers said.

Police said Bermea and another man, who remains unidentified, fired at least 17 gunshots at a man and a woman who were leaving the gas station at the time. Investigators said the violence was sparked by a confrontation between Bermea and the male victim.

Bermea was arrested Wednesday at a home on Nevada Avenue in Dos Palos, police said.

During the search of the Dos Palos home, investigators also found three firearms, including what they described as a sub-machine gun, along with a ballistic helmet, bulletproof vest, several hundred rounds of ammunition and some unspecified “gang-related items,” officers said.

At the same home police also arrested 19-year-old Michael Lozano and 25-year-old Hernan Perez. All three were taken into custody on suspicion of numerous gang and weapons allegations, officers said.

Lozano was in possession of a stolen handgun at the time of his arrest, police said.

Bermea faces an additional allegation of attempted murder in connection with the July 16 shooting on Pacheco Boulevard, according to police.

Investigators on Wednesday served a total of four search warrants linked to the unrelated shooting investigations. The searches were conducted with the help of the Merced County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team and the Merced Area Gang and Narcotics Task Force.