Santa Paula Gang Members Arrested

Four documented Santa Paula gang members were taken into custody early Thursday morning after an attempted murder on the 200 block of south 11 th Street.

Ricardo Contreras, 35, Rudy Cardoza, 40, Mitchell Cardoza Jr., 18, and another male juvenile were arrested after allegedly shooting at a moving vehicle with a single male driver around 9:30 p.m. The victim was uninjured, but his vehicle sustained damage from the gunfire.

The victim hailed a Santa Paula Police officer who was on a traffic stop and informed him of the situation. Eyewitnesses at the scene contacted police and successfully identified the suspects.

Upon obtaining a search warrant, officers entered two residence’s on the same street and located the four suspects, a .357 magnum revolver and numerous items of evidence.

Anyone with details regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Santa Paula Police Department at 805-525-4474.