Alleged gang member accused of attempted murders

An alleged gang member accused of attempted murders has been arrested.

Oscar Esquivel, 20 of Porterville, was arrested.

At 1:30 a.m. July 5, Porterville Police Officers responded to an apartment complex located in the 600 block of West Mulberry Avenue regarding a shooting. Several rounds were fired at the victim and his family, but fortunately nobody was struck.

Immediately thereafter, the suspect fled in a vehicle, was involved in a collision a few blocks away, and managed to flee on foot leaving the firearm behind. Detectives were called out to assume control of the investigation and they were able to identify the suspect as Esquivel, an alleged member of Northern Street Gang.

On-going efforts were undertaken to locate Esquivel, but were unsuccessful. An arrest warrant was authored by Detectives and signed by a Superior Court Judge.

On August 17, at 2:50 AM, Officers were dispatched to the 300 block of Eastridge Circle for another shooting. Two suspects, armed with a handgun and an assault rifle, approached the victims who were occupying a vehicle, forcibly took their keys and attempted to carjack their vehicle.

The suspects were unsuccessful with starting the vehicle and during the incident, one victim was shot in the abdomen. The suspects fled on foot and weren’t located.

The victim in that case was transported to a local hospital where he received medical treatment for his injuries and survived. Detectives were called out to assume control of the investigation and they were able to identify the suspects as Esquivel and Daniel Diaz.

Diaz was located and arrested within hours, but efforts to locate Esquivel were unsuccessful. Another arrest warrant was authored by Detectives and signed by a Superior Court Judge. Detectives continued to work tirelessly in their search for Esquivel, but he continued to elude capture.

But at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Detectives located and contacted Esquivel in the 800 block of East Dixie Avenue. He was arrested without incident and booked at the South County Detention Facility for the two arrest warrants for the aforementioned investigation. He’s being held without bail.

Anyone with information regarding the incident or any other criminal street gang activity is encouraged to contact the Porterville Police Department at (559) 782-7400 or through the departmental Facebook page. Those who have information may also provide it anonymously.