Seven suspects responsible for promoting and hosting 22 large-scale illegal sideshows in San Jose have been arrested and indicted, authorities in the South Bay said Thursday. Ian Cull reports.
Seven suspects responsible for promoting and hosting 22 large-scale illegal sideshows in San Jose have been arrested and indicted, authorities in the South Bay said Thursday.
In September, a Santa Clara County grand jury indicted all seven suspects on felony charges of conspiracy to promote sideshows, authorities said. The San Jose Police Department also impounded many of the associated vehicles.
The seven suspects arrested were identified as Elijah Moore of San Jose, Tyler Richardson of Oakland, Luis Hau of San Jose, Jason Flores of San Jose, Irving Esparza of San Jose, Luis Ronquillo of Oakland and Jonathan Ramirez of San Jose. Two suspects still at-large were identified as Rafael Gaytan of Sunnyvale and Daniel Vazquez of Salinas.
The suspects referred to themselves as "The Hockey Team," police said. Authorities played along and dubbed their bust as "Operation Penalty Box."
Leaders from the city of San Jose, including Mayor Matt Mahan and police Chief Paul Joseph, and from Santa Clara County were scheduled to provide an update Thursday afternoon.
In 2023, Mahan announced a new plan to combat illegal sideshows. It included a push for stricter moderation on social media platforms, where sideshows are often promoted.
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