Monterey County Sheriff's Office
Authorities discovered a cache of weapons in the man's vehicle and home, after he allegedly left behind a "horrible scene" littered with dead miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs and more.
More than 80 animals are dead after a California man allegedly went on a brutal killing spree this week in the middle of the night.
The Monterey Sheriff's Office says they began getting calls regarding shots fired around 3:25am on Tuesday, September 3. When they arrived at the scene, they could still hear gunshots, as a shelter in place order was put into effect in the area.
According to authorities, they could hear "various calibers of weapons" being "randomly" fired in the "extremely dark" area "covered in thick vegetation," something which made it hard for responding deputies to track down the person responsible. With the help of drones and, eventually, sunlight, they found a suspect and a crashed vehicle in a vineyard.
39-year-old Vicente Joseph Arroyo of Salinas was taken into custody "without further incident," as the scene -- described by one official as "horrific" -- was secured.
Per the Sheriff's Office, "it was discovered that Arroyo had killed approximately 80 animals including miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other types of birds." The surviving animals had to be euthanized by the SPCA "due to the severity of their injuries."
Also recovered at the scene was a cache of weapons -- including "Multiple long rifles, shotguns and handguns, including an unlawful assault weapon," along with loaded and empty magazines. Per authorities, 7 additional firearms and ammunition were found after executing a warrant at his home -- bringing the total total number of firearms recovered to 15.
"It is without a doubt that the warrant served by our deputies and detectives, which has resulted in the seizure of these additional weapons, has made our community safer," said Monterey County Sheriff Tina Nieto in a statement. "I am confident that we have prevented another tragedy from happening in the future."
Arroyo has been charged with Willful Discharge of a Firearm with Gross Negligence, Cruelty to Animals, Illegal Possession of Assault Weapon, Vandalism, Criminal Threats, and Felon In Possession of a Firearm. His bail was initially set at $50,000, before it was upped to $1 million.
So far, no motive has been revealed.
"I've been doing this for 24 plus years now," said Sheriff's Office spokesman Commander Andres Rosas (via the Los Angeles Times), "and no, I've unfortunately never seen anything like this when it comes to animal life lost."
Per Rosas, the suspect lived in a trailer next to the property where the animals were killed. Most of the animals belonged to someone who rented the land.
City of Flint Police Department
