Police seize weapons, make arrests after New Year’s Eve illegal gunfire
Photo courtesy of The Madera Police Department This AR 15 pistol was seized by Madera police Monday night as evidence.
Madera police arrested two men on charges of reckless endangerment for firing a gun into the air or ground this New Years eve, and confiscated several guns, according to Corporal Steve Boehm. Officers on the night patrol shift and the Special Investigations Unit, or SIU, had been preparing to track down anyone firing guns and endangering the public or property over the holiday.
The team responded to reports of gunfire in the 1000 block of Yosemite Avenue and located Frank Duarte standing next to his vehicle in his front yard, with an AR 15 pistol in his possession and spent shell casings in his backyard.
Duarte, is a gang member and also a convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms, they said. Officers also found a 30-round magazine and additional rounds of .223 ammunition inside the residence. Duarte was arrested and booked on several weapons charges and the reckless discharge of a firearm within the city limits.
The other reckless discharge of a weapon case remains under investigation with no details being released.
Over the five-day holiday period Madera police had 123 calls for service from the public, held two sobriety and drivers license check points that screened over 600 cars and made five arrests for DUI. No major injury incidents were reported.
The Madera office of the California Highway Patrol reported 12 arrests on charges of DUI, one minor injury hit and run, and no other major incidents during the same period.
