FOX40 News published April 17, 2023: 17 arrested in connection to Sikh temple shootings, other violent crimes. Seventeen felony arrests were made in connection with two mass shootings at Sikh temples in Stockton and Sacramento.
KCRA 3 published April 17, 2023: Full Press Conference: 17 arrested from rival criminal syndicates in Northern California. Authorities say shootings at Sikh temples in Stockton and Sacramento are linked to two rival criminal syndicates.
NBC News
written by The Associated Press
Tuesday April 18, 2023
YUBA CITY, Calif. — Authorities in Northern California on Monday said they had arrested more than a dozen men from two warring criminal syndicates whose violent rivalry they say was responsible for a mass shooting at a Sikh temple and a brutal sword attack at a parade in 2018.
Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré said the two syndicates were responsible for multiple shootings where 11 people were shot, including five people at a Sikh temple in Stockton last year and two more victims at a temple in Sacramento last month.
None of the victims died. Dupré said all of the men arrested are part of California’s Sikh community and were members of one of two rival groups whose feud was fueled by intense personal connections.
“This started out as one group, and one faction broke off, and since then they have been rivals trying to outdo each other. Mainly they show up places and try to shoot each other,” Dupré said, comparing it to the U.S. Civil War “where brothers were fighting against brothers.”
Dupré said the arrests are not related to the murders last year of a Sikh family in the San Joaquin Valley, which included the killings of an 8-month-old baby, the baby’s parents and an uncle.
Dupré said the violence began in 2018 at the annual Sikh Parade in Yuba City, one of the largest South Asian festivals held outside of the Indian subcontinent. There, Dupré said, a man was beaten so hard with a sword that it broke. The violence soon escalated to shootings, including one at a wedding party in 2021.
The rash of violence attracted the attention of the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force, which launched an investigation with assistance from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and various other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
The investigation intensified in March, when authorities learned of potential violence at a Sikh parade in Sacramento. Dupré said police stopped two cars before they reached the parade, arresting seven people and seizing four handguns and two other guns with large capacity magazines.
A shooting still happened at the parade, injuring two people, but Dupré said a “mass casualty incident” was prevented.
“If those weapons had gotten into the parade, it could have been a bloodbath,” Dupré said.
Altogether, Dupré said police seized 41 guns during the investigation, including a weapon described as a “machine gun.”
Authorities arrested 17 people, including Karandeep Singh, Pardeep Singh, Pavittar Singh, Husandeep Singh, Sahajpreet Singh, Harkirat Singh, Tirath Ram, Dharamvir Singh, Jobanjit Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Nitish Kaushal, Gurminder Singh Kang, Devender Singh, Karambir Gill, Rajeev Ranjan, Jobanpreet Singh and Singh Dhesi.
Dupré said five other people — Amandeep Singh, Harmandeep Singh, Gursharn Singh, Grucharan Singh and Jaskaran Singh — have not yet been arrested.
Dupré said the men have not had a court appearances yet. It’s not clear if they have attorneys yet who can speak on their behalf.
Yuba City, a city of nearly 70,000 people along the Feather River just north of Sacramento, has a large Sikh community. Locals often refer to the area as “mini Punjab,” named after the Indian state where many Sikhs live. Each November, tens of thousands of people travel to the city for Nagar Kirtan, one of the largest Sikh gatherings in the U.S.
Sikhs also have a large presence throughout California’s Central Valley. The Sacramento County Assistant Sheriff said seven of the shootings occurred in Sacramento County within the past year.
“The investigation in this particular case and the charges that have been brought forth does not in any way reflect or represent the vibrant Sikh community that are such an important and vital part of the greater community in this region,” Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho said.
Firstpost published April 18, 2023: Khalistan Row: 17 Arrested After Gurudwaras Attacked In California. Khalistan Row: 17 Arrested After Gurudwaras Attacked In California | Vantage with Palki Sharma.
The West’s stunning silence on the Khalistan movement is backfiring. 17 people have been arrested in connection with a series of shootings in Gurudwaras in California. Is the West late to begin its crackdown? Palki Sharma explains.
Tribune India
written by PTI
Tuesday April 18, 2023
Police in California have arrested 17 people in connection with a series of shootings in Gurdwaras in Stockton, Sacramento and other locations and seized weapons such as AK-47, handguns, and at least one machine gun in a series of raids carried out over 20 places, the State Attorney General said Monday.
The 17 felony arrests, mostly members of the local Sikh community, were made during a large-scale operation with agents executing search warrants at 20 locations in Northern California on Sunday according to an announcement made by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker, and Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupré.
At a news conference Dupré said, two of the people arrested are mafia members who are “wanted on a number of murders” in India.
The arrested members, said California Attorney General, are part of rival criminal syndicates who are alleged to be responsible for numerous violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders, in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties.
At a news conference Dupré said, two of the people arrested are mafia members who are “wanted on a number of murders” in India.
The arrested members, said California Attorney General, are part of rival criminal syndicates who are alleged to be responsible for numerous violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders, in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties.
Members of these groups were allegedly involved in a mass shooting at a Stockton Sikh temple which took place on August 27, 2022, and a shooting at a Sacramento Sikh temple on March 23, 2023.
During the investigation, law enforcement was able to prevent two additional shootings from occurring, a press release said.
“Today, California is safer thanks to collaboration, determination, and swift action by DOJ agents and our law enforcement partners in Sutter County,” said California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
“No family should ever have to worry about drive-by shootings or other forms of gun violence in the neighbourhoods where their children live and play. As a result of this joint law enforcement effort, we're taking guns off the street and putting suspected gang members and their associates behind bars,” he said.
“An investigation of this magnitude requires a tremendous amount of time and effort, and especially a lot of personnel,” said Sutter County District Attorney General Jennifer Dupré.
Authorities arrested 17 people, including Karandeep Singh, Pardeep Singh, Pavittar Singh, Husandeep Singh, Sahajpreet Singh, Harkirat Singh, Tirath Ram, Dharamvir Singh, Jobanjit Singh, Gurvinder Singh, Nitish Kaushal, Gurminder Singh Kang, Devender Singh, Karambir Gill, Rajeev Ranjan, Jobanpreet Singh, and Singh Dhesi.
Five other people — Amandeep Singh, Harmandeep Singh, Gursharn Singh, Grucharan Singh and Jaskaran Singh — have not yet been arrested.
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