Marco V. Mendez,Andre Piazza were arrested and two assault rifles seized

The suspects were identified by police as Marco V. Mendez, 32, of Hayward, and Andre Piazza, 26, of Oakland. It was not clear if they knew each other. Police said Mendez had gang tattoos and told officers he was a member of an Oakland street gang.
Two men _ one an admitted gang member _ were arrested and two assault rifles seized by police early Sunday near a street shrine for a 15-year-old boy killed last week by officers who said he pointed a sawed-off rifle at them.
The arrests and gun seizures happened about 3:10 a.m. Sunday in the area of 78th Avenue and Rudsdale Street, near a street memorial for Jose Luis Buenrostro-Gonzalez.
The 15-year-old Buenrostro-Gonzalez, who police said was associated with the same gang as Mendez, was fatally shot last Wednesday by gang unit officers who said he pointed a sawed-off rifle at them. The boy's family has said he had his hands up and was not a gang member.Two officers on patrol in the area Sunday morning said they saw Mendez on a corner. As he started walking away the officers shined a spotlight on him and said they could see he was concealing a gun, which he discarded by a parked van before fleeing into backyards. The gun turned out to be a loaded AR-15 assault rifle and Mendez was arrested a short time later in the area, Officer Roland Holmgren said.Piazza was arrested after he approached officers at 78th and Rudsdale saying he needed to move his car, which was parked a short distance away
with the passenger door open and the engine running. An officer saw what turned out to be a loaded AK-47 assault rifle on the front seat, partially covered by a jacket, and Piazza was arrested.Both men refused to talk to investigators. They were arrested on suspicion of different weapons violations.
Mendez was also arrested on suspicion of participating in a criminal street gang. Both men have prior felony convictions and could be prosecuted by federal authorities.Holmgren said the assault rifles ``have been manufactured for destruction of human life,'' and that police would continue to ``aggressively patrol...to get them off the street.''

Posted in: Oakland