A man who had already been deported twice before went on a “reign of terror” this week in central California, one that included murder, attempted murder, robbery, carjacking, and a high-speed chase going the wrong way on the highway. All of that could have been prevented if local sheriff’s had been allowed to turn Gustavo Garcia over to ICE just two days before his rampage, but a new state sanctuary law prevented that.
Garcia was arrested last week on a misdemeanor charge of being under the influence of a controlled substance. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) saw that Garcia was under arrest they asked the police to turn him over. From the Visalia Times-Delta:
Before Garcia’s release, ICE officials alerted deputies that Garcia was a criminal with a violent past who had been deported once in 2004 and again in 2014. Garcia served 27 months in a federal prison between deportations for illegally reentering the country.
ICE agents issued an immigration hold against Garcia on Friday, following his arrest. The hold was not honored, however, and Garcia was released later that day, unbeknownst to ICE.
In the past, local sheriffs would have been allowed to turn Garcia directly over to ICE for deportation. But thanks to a new sanctuary state law, sheriffs were required to release him last Friday without notifying ICE. The next day, Garcia was wandering around the local Walmart asking strangers to buy him bullets. He couldn’t purchase them on his own because of his long criminal record. After he was turned down by at least one wary shopper, Garcia stole 300 rounds. Then on Sunday afternoon, less than 48-hours after his release from jail, Garcia went on a crime spree. Fox News reports how the spree began:
Garcia’s rampage started at around 1 p.m. Sunday when he shot a farm worker who was in the middle of unpacking fruit in Exeter. The farm worker was expected to recover.
Moments later, Garcia robbed a convenience store with surveillance footage showing Garcia firing shots at the ceiling and demanding more than $2,000 in cash, according to the Fresno Bee. Police believe the shooting of the farm worker was meant to be a distraction for the robbery.
At 7:30 p.m., Garcia shot a Motel 6 guest in the arm and chest in Tulare, police said. Her wounds weren’t considered to be life-threatening…
At around 1:30 a.m. Monday, Garcia shot up a Shell gas station near Pixley and then killed Rocky Paul Jones, 51, about an hour later outside an Arco AMPM in Visalia, police Chief Jason Salazar said…
He then fired shots from the backyard of his ex-girlfriend’s Visalia home as she and her children were inside. Police said the girlfriend and her children escaped unscathed.
Early Monday morning, police spotted Garcia in his car and gave chase. From ABC 30:
At around 6:30 a.m., Tulare County Sheriff’s deputies spotted Garcia’s vehicle and started a brief pursuit.
But they say Garcia’s car became disabled, and he started shooting at two deputies once he got out.
Those deputies were able to return shots at Garcia, who ran into an orchard.
Police say Garcia carjacked some farmworkers in the orchard, but this time Visalia Police spotted him leaving the area, and started a pursuit.
Near Strathmore, the California Highway Patrol says Garcia started going the wrong way on Highway 65, trying to intentionally hit other cars, going at least 100 miles per hour.
Garcia finally crashed into several other cars and was ejected from the vehicle he had stolen driving. He died at the scene. ICE released a statement yesterday about the incident:
This shows how much Democrats care about the safety of citizens. It is definitive proof.
And while the democrats want to disarm all law abiding Americans and open our nations borders ruin jobs with red tape regulations lawsuits and Mountains of paperwork and rules which they then will ignore because like the middle ages noblemen they think their above the law