Man and juvenile arrested in connection to drive-by shooting, Merced police say

Two suspected gang members have been arrested in connection with a July drive-by shooting that occurred in Merced, according to authorities.

At about 1:31 p.m. Wednesday, an officer located two subjects in the suspect vehicle from a July shooting, according to a Merced Police Department news release. The officer stopped the vehicle in the area of Rose Avenue and Dodd Court.

The occupants were identified as 24-year-old Jorge Desiderio-Rocha and a 15-year-old juvenile. Police said both Desiderio-Rocha and the juvenile were identified as gang members and were in possession of a 9mm ghost gun during the arrest.

Officers responded at about 8:30 p.m. on July 17 to a shooting in the 2600 block of Polaris Court, according to the release. When officers arrived on scene, they found that a home and vehicle had been struck by gunfire. No gunshot victims were located at the scene.

According to police, a short time later two people arrived at Mercy Medical Center and one of them had a gunshot wound to the leg which was determined to be self-inflicted. The Gang Violence Suppression Unit identified the cases were related and the subjects that arrived at the hospital were suspected of being the two people responsible for the Polaris Court shooting, according to the release.

Rocha was booked into Merced County Jail on suspicion of his connection to the shooting as well as suspicion of possession of a firearm and gang enhancements. The 15-year-old was arrested and booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of his connection to the shooting as well as suspicion of gang enhancements and possession of a firearm, according to police.

Anyone with information regarding the alleged crime is asked to contact Officer Justin Saldivar at 209-388-7735 or by email at saldivarj@cityofmerced.org.

Some crimes can be reported through the Merced Police Department website and anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 209-385-4725 or through the Merced Area Crime Stoppers website.

This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 6:55 PM.