MADERA, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – Two men were arrested Friday after gunfire narrowly missed a child as a mother was driving home in Madera, the Madera Police Department announced.
Police say on Thursday they were called to the 900 block of south Gateway Drive around 6 p.m. regarding a report of an assault with a deadly weapon.
Responding officers report a woman told them she was driving with her two young children into the alleyway of her apartment complex when seven to 10 shots were fired and her vehicle was struck. Her vehicle was struck several times, nearly hitting a child in the backseat.
Detectives eventually identified details of a suspect and potential suspect vehicle through surveillance footage and witness statements. The following day on Friday, detectives saw the suspect vehicle nearby where the shooting occurred.
Police say Madera residents 19-year-old Eduardo Ochoa Villegas and 39-year-old Oliver Vasquez Hernandez were contacted and their vehicle was searched. Officers found a firearm believed to be related to the shooting the day prior. A search warrant was served to Villegas’ home where additional evidence was collected.