3 Arrested in Roseville Pistol Whipping Incident

Roseville, Calif. – Three people have been arrested in connection with the pistol-whipping of a teenager in mid-February. One of the men and a suspected accomplice were arrested soon after the assault, and the remaining suspect was arrested by law enforcement partners early Saturday morning in south San Diego County.

At 4:23 p.m. February 14, Roseville Police responded to a disturbance in the 200 block of Duranta Street. Two men had confronted two teenaged boys who were walking in the neighborhood, threatened them with a handgun and made gang-related comments. After pistol-whipping one of the boys, they left in a waiting car. Witnesses called police.

Officers familiar with the neighborhood recognized the men and the car from the witnesses’ descriptions, and quickly found the car and two of the suspects nearby. The suspected driver, 24-year-old Melissa Narvaez Avato of Roseville, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and violation of probation. Jose Aron Lopez, age 27 of Roseville, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm, child abuse, making criminal threats and brandishing a firearm. He’s currently in custody in the Placer County Jail. The other suspect, Benny Lopez, had fled the area.

Over the past week and a half, Roseville Police Department’s Crime Suppression Unit (CSU) searched for Benny Lopez at several locations in Roseville and the Sacramento area. Early Saturday morning, they found out that he was traveling south through the San Diego area, and notified law enforcement in that area to detain him. Benny Landeros Lopez, age 28 of Roseville, was arrested on a Placer County warrant charging him with assault with a firearm and several other related charges. He was taken to the San Diego County Jail pending transfer back to Placer County to face charges.