Some of the guns and drugs seized during Operation Family Feud.
- The bodies of two adults were discovered Tuesday afternoon in the back on this Mitsubishi Montero.
My first week on the crime beat has been interesting, to say the least.
After 10 years in The Record’s sports department, I walked into the newsroom Tuesday wondering what would happen on my first day flying solo on the crime beat. Within the hour, we received word of an apparent murder-suicide at the Red Roof Inn on West Fremont Street. Police believe 35-year-old Montin Phiphatsirikajorn shot 34-year-old Ounheuane Chantrirock before killing himself in the back of a Mitsubishi Montero. You can read about them here.
Day 2 offered a cool opportunity to accompany law-enforcement officials as they carried out a series of raids targeting members of Norteño street gangs. The Record arranged the ride-along after my predecessor, Jordan Guinn, started asking questions about a series of arrests police made earlier this month. It was then that authorities informed us of Operation Family Feud, a five-month investigation that has resulted in 39 arrests, including 29 documented gang members. Police asked us not to connect certain dots publicly because they feared it could compromise their investigation. In exchange, they offered us exclusive access to Wednesday’s sweep, which included raids at 10 locations in San Joaquin County. You can read more about the raids here. The Stockton Police Department held a press conference today to announce the arrests. You can read a little bit about that here and more in Friday’s edition of The Record.