This week, five members of the so-called “Murder Squad,” who “killed for sport” by going on “hunts” for individuals they believed to be members of rival gangs and murdering innocent bystanders in the process, were given sentences totalling 161 years in prison.
The five defendants, whose ages range from 27 to 37 and who go by nicknames like “Gunner” and “Hitter,” found out this week what would happen to them in the horrific and needless bloodbath that resulted in 11 shooting murders and 17 additional injuries in a small California city.
These included Siaki Tavale, 27, who was given a 41-year prison sentence; John Magat, 37, who received a 37-year sentence; Anthony Hitter, 27, who received a 31-year sentence; Anelu Tavale, 28, who received a 27-year sentence; and Mark Anthony Garcia, 33, who received a 25-year sentence. Within the murder and racketeering conspiracy, they entered a guilty plea in May, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“The ‘Murder Squad’ killed for sport, terrorizing the city of Salinas and forever altering the lives of so many innocent members of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey. “As described in the court filings, their conduct is reprehensible. Thanks to the strong collaboration between federal and state law enforcement over many years, these men will rightfully spend the next few decades of their lives in prison.”
The gang belongs to the group of street gangs in Northern California, also called “Norteños.” They went to rival “Sureños” (street gang members in Southern California or those they believed to be associated with them) in Salinas, a 163,542-person city located more than 100 miles south of San Francisco.
Prosecutors claimed that the group conducted their hunts using military-style tactics. They drove in a convoy with cars designated as spotters and shooters. They specifically targeted male Hispanics, those with shaved heads, and wearers of the competing colour, blue.
Prosecutors claimed that after they had located a target, they would occasionally “hit up” their victims to find out if they were members of the same gang before opening fire, but they did not always wait for a response.
According to officials, they quickly fled after emptying their magazines, using the spotter car to divert or obstruct law enforcement.
11 persons were killed by them between 2015 and 2018, according to the prosecution. 17 more people were shot at but managed to live. Prosecutors stated that the majority of the victims did not belong to a competing gang. Some were caught in the crossfire and weren’t even the intended targets.
According to the prosecution, a number of the killings were carried out to “and/or lift their spirits” in memory of a slain gang member. Authorities claimed that the standing of a defendant inside the gang increased with each increase in the number of bodies.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office mentioned multiple incidents involving people who died or were injured between January 2017 and November 2018 in a news release from October 2020 that announced the indictments.
The gang opened fire on the house after spotting some Hispanic guys outside a house party in January 2017, leaving two people dead and four injured. The victims’ gang affiliation was not supported by any evidence. Following the shooting, the murderers gave chase to the police at a high rate of speed before they wrecked, got out of their car, and vanished.
The murder squad ambushed a small group of Hispanic men outside a community centre the next month. They fired at least eighteen shots, killing one victim by striking him in the head. They departed in a stolen SUV that had been sprayed with petrol earlier in the day, just in case it needed to be set on fire, according to the authorities. They came into another bunch the next day and opened fire in a driveway, firing at least twenty rounds. Despite being struck in the neck, torso, and upper back, the two victims made it out alive.
In one instance, the gang shot at least 35 rounds at a man who was strolling down the street in November 2018 in remembrance of the deceased gang member’s birthday. The man was hit in the head and killed.
Then-Salinas Police Chief Adele Frése stated that the atrocities left locals in crippling fear and that it was made worse because the victims were “simply everyday residents of our city that happened to be in a public place while the murder squad was on a hunt” during a news conference announcing the indictments in October 2020.
“These ruthless gang members have gained a living by killing innocent people,” she said. “These gang members will now have to answer to their horrific, violent crimes.”
