By Sarah Elizabeth Villicana, The Porterville Recorder
Local communities continue to be bogged down by gang violence as three assaults reported in and near Porterville Monday and Tuesday evenings are suspected to be gang related.
Deputies were dispatched Tuesday to the 500 block of South Doyle Street in response to an assault, stated a news release from the Sheriff's Department.
The victim told deputies he was assaulted with a baseball bat by two unknown subjects on Monday evening.
The man suffered several injuries to his torso but refused medical treatment.
At about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, deputies were dispatched to the area of Date Avenue and Legget Street in response to a shooting at an occupied dwelling.
A short distance from the scene, deputies located the suspect vehicle and conducted a felony traffic stop. Three juvenile males were inside the suspect vehicle.
An air-powered pistol was found in the center passenger area of the vehicle and the three juveniles were taken into custody on suspicion of four counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
The suspects were booked into the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Facility.
The third assault occurred next to Cortez Market at Avenue 192 and Road 152 in Poplar.
Deputies first contacted the victim in the emergency room at Tulare District Hospital, according to a Sheriff's Department news release.
The male victim said he was attacked by three known males, one wearing brass knuckles. He would not divulge the identities of the suspects because they were suspected members of a northern criminal street gang and he claimed to be a member of a southern gang, Sheriff's Department officials report.
The victim reportedly requested charges not be filed in this case and signed a nonprosecution form.
This case is not under investigation and will be closed.
The two Porterville assaults were still under investigation by the Tulare County Sheriff's Department.
Contact Sarah Villicana at 784-5000, Ext. 1045, or svillicana@portervillerecorder.com.
This story was published in The Porterville Recorder on Nov. 30, 2006
