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WEBVTT ERIN: ON THE CRIME WATCH,HELICOPTERS, EXPLOSIONS MAKINGFOR A NOISY MORNING IN ANDAROUND SANTA CRUZ AS THEDEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITYAND SANTA CRUZ POLICE MOVED INON A VIOLENT SALVADORAN GANG ANDARRESTED TEN PEOPLE.WE GET THE LATEST FROM PHILGOMEZ, WHO IS LIVE IN SANTACRUZ.>> POLICE TELL ME THIS WAS ANOPERATION THAT HAS BEEN IN THEPLANNING STAGES FOR FIVE YEARS.THE TWELVE PEOPLE ARRESTED AREACCUSED OF EXTORTION, DEALINGDRUGS AND MURDER.>> NO, I DID NOT SEE ANYTHING,BECAUSE THERE WAS AN ASSAULTRIFLE POINTED AT MY FACE.>> THIS IS ONE OF 12 POINTSSECURITY SLEPT THROUGH IN APREDAWN RAID.>> WE HEARD A LOT OF BIG BOOMSAND BANGS.>> LAW ENFORCEMENT WEREN'TTAKING ANY RISKS.THEY SWOOPED IN WITH HELICOPTERSAND ARMORED VEHICLES.X WE BELIEVE THIS GANG ISINVOLVED IN SHOOTINGS ANDMURDERS THAT HAVE OCCURREDDIRECTLY IN THE CITY OF SANTACRUZ.>> FEDERAL AT TORIES ENTEREDTHIS HOUSE IN THE BEACH FLATSNEIGHBORHOOD.THEY WERE LOOKING FOR HISSON-IN-LAW WHO NO LONGER LIVESAT THIS ADDRESS BUT HE WAS ASKEDHIS LEGAL STATUS.HE DID NOT WANT HIS IDENTITYREVEALED FOR FEAR OFRETALIATION.>> ONE OF THE OFFICERS SPOKESPANISH.HE GAVE HIM INFORMATION.ONE OF THE OTHER OFFICERS SAIDHE IS ILLEGAL.HE SAID NO, HE IS A RESIDENT.THEY LOOKED AT HIS PAPERS.HE IS A RESIDENT.THEY VERIFIED ALL HISINFORMATION.>> CITY LEADERS TELL ACTION NEWSTHIS INVESTIGATION BEGAN FIVEYEARS AGO, UNDER THE OBAMAADMINISTRATION AND ARE VERYAWARE OF THE COMMUNITY'SCONCERNS.SIMILAR RAIDS WERE GOING ONSIMULANEOUSLY IN OTHER COUNTIESAND ACTIONS IN SANTA CRUZ WERETAKEN TO ENSURE THE PUBLIC WASKEPT SAFE DURING THE ARRESTS>> AGAIN, THERE WAS NOCONNECTION TO IMMIGRATION, NOCONNECTION TO WHAT HAS HAPPENEDIN L.A. AND OTHER CITIES IN THESTATE OF CALIFORNIA.OF COURSE, THE TIMING MAKES THEMLOOK SIMILAR.BUT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELANDSECURITY SEES THIS GANG AS ATERRORIST ORGANIZATION, AND THATIS WHY THEY ARE INVOLVED.>> AT THE END OF THE DAY, 12PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED.LAW ENFORCEMENT WOULD NOTPROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATIONWHILE THE INVESTIGATIONCONTINUES.>> SANTA CRUZ POLICE POINTED OUTTHAT NO ONE WAS INJURED ANDEVERYONE WHO WAS DETAINED WHOWAS NOT INVOLVED IN CRIMINALACTIVITY HAS BEEN RELEASED.

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Department of Homeland Security federal agents and Santa Cruz Police Department officers raided homes in Santa Cruz, Live Oak, and Capitola at 4 a.m. Monday. The arrests stemmed from a five-year investigation into an El Salvadoran street gang, Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), that has been operating locally, Deputy Santa Cruz Police Chief Dan Flippo said. Between 4 a.m. and 5 a.m., 12 men were arrested and a dozen neighborhoods were raided by SWAT teams. Homeland Security agents used armored vehicles to protect federal agents and police officers while making the high-risk arrests. One witness took a photograph of a black armored vehicle with the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk roller coaster in the background. The vehicle was marked with a Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement logo. "There have been choppers overhead for a couple of hours around midtown to Live Oak. Rumors that it's an early morning ICE raid. This is not what we want in our city," one witness told KSBW. Flippo told KSBW, "Let me be very clear -- this was in no way an immigration raid. We were focusing on a very violent gang that has been preying on our city streets for over a decade." FULL INTERVIEW: Deputy Chief Dan Flippo A nationwide immigration raid was conducted over the weekend in the U.S. by ICE agents, resulting in hundreds of arrests. President Donald Trump claimed credit for the nationwide raids, according to CNN. Flippo said, "I know the timing is a concern to the community. The Santa Cruz Police Department and City of Santa Cruz would not participate in any immigration raid what-so-ever." "Everyone we arrested is going to prison, not deportation," Flippo said. "The Santa Cruz Police Department is extrodinarily aware of the fear that exists in our community regarding immigration raids." READ MORE: Nationwide immigration raids result in hundreds of arrests Last month, the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors re-declared the city and county as "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants. "This investigation into this very violent gang focused on the shootings, murders, extortion, and sales of both heroin and methamphetamine in our community," Flippo said. Ten of the 12 arrested men were identified Tuesday as: Velarmino Escobar-Ayala, aka Meduza; Tomas Rivera, aka Profugo; Ismael Alvarenga-Rivera, aka Casper; Willfredo Edgardo-Ayala, aka Chino; Jose David Abrego-Galdamez, aka Largo; Melvin Lopez, aka Sharky; Alexander Martinez-Flores, aka Pocar; Gerber Morales, aka Choco; Emilio Escobar-Albarnga, aka Diablo; and Josue Alcedis Escobar-Cerritos, aka Penguino. Residents told KSBW they were startled awake Monday by sounds of "explosions," from flash bang grenades, and propeller sounds from helicopters circling above. "We heard a lot of big booms and bangs," Live Oak resident Daniella Evangelista said. Another resident said, "Explosions (or) gunshots woke me around 4 a.m. I looked outside. SWAT teams with a Bearcat were swarming the complex across from my house. SWAT teams left Corcoran Avenue, then they were swarming a complex with guns drawn on 17th Avenue, between Capitola Road and Rodriguez Street. Whatever is going on seems pretty intense." Flippo said the helicopters served as aerial surveillance in case an armed suspect ran out of a house. "Diversionary devices" were deployed to "distract" men who agents were attempting to apprehend, he said. Firearms were seized from several homes. No injuries resulted from the raids. The 12 suspected gang members were booked into a San Jose jail and were indicted Monday afternoon on federal charges of conspiring to commit extortion by force and conspiring to engage in drug trafficking. The 12 are members of a violent local subset of MS-13, called Santa Cruz Salvatrucha Locos 13, federal officials said. Some are responsible for at least two murders in Santa Cruz, Flippo said. "This investigation was ramped up very recently based on the belief that there was a significant threat to public safety," the Santa Cruz Police Department said. Police are hopeful that the arrests dismantled the gang locally, and planned future acts of violence were thwarted.