ROCKFORD – It was a quiet scene Sunday morning in the 1400 block of Ogilvy Road, but it was a different scene last Friday. Police say a tan Buick fled, after officers spotted 3 masked men driving on the south west side. The officers pursued the vehicle, which fled at a high speed, crashing into another car and eventually smashing into a tree.
Deputies arrested 23-year-old Luis Vasquez and 18-year-old Alex Rodriguez, both known members of the Latin Kings gang. Police also found 2 loaded hand guns and a half pound of pot in the car, but the search is not over.
Police continue to look for 22-year-old Alex Salado, who is still on the loose. Salgado is a familiar face to local law enforcement. He was the prime suspect in the shooting death of Steve Miller back in 2010. But, a
“We prevented a violent crime here,” Deputy Chief Karner said following the arrests. “These two deputies in that car prevented a violent crime. There’s no question about that…and that’s significant.”
Winnebago County Sheriff’s newly formed tactical team have been focusing patrols on the south-west side neighborhood after a drive-by shooting that happened earlier in the week. The Sheriff put the tact team in place to stop violent crimes from happening, and residents say they believe that’s exactly what happened.
“I think by implementing that the officers wouldn’t (have) been there,” resident Jim Massey said. “Then there would probably … have been another shooting. Somebody would (have) been wounded or might of even died from the issue.”
And Deputy Chief Karner says this won’t be the first high profile arrest made because of this tact force.
“The Sheriff has made it clear this is a priority in his administration and you will see more arrests like these.”
