Update for Sept. 30

In the arraignment of six men charged in connection with the July 23 Kent car show shooting, all six pleaded not guilty.

All six are members of the Playboy-Surenos street gang, according to prosecutors.

From King County:
Defendants Nicholas Moreno, 21, Ignacio Vasquez-Trevino, 19, and Martin McSmith, 21, are each charged with three counts of Assault First Degree with a Firearm Enhancement. James Lopez, Jr., 17, is charged as an adult with one count of Drive-By Shooting. Defendants Shea Auble, 21, and Patrick Auble, 30, are each charged with one count of Rendering Criminal Assistance First Degree.

All six men will have a case setting hearing on Oct. 12 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent to decide when they go to trial.

Update for Sept. 17
After announcing the arrest of four suspects in the July Kent car show shooting on Sept. 15, Kent Police report the apprehension of two more men later that same day.

From the Kent Police Department:
Members of the U. S. Marshalls Service have captured two men wanted in connection with July’s shooting at a west Kent car show. Armed with arrest warrants obtained earlier this week by Kent Police Detectives, Marshalls captured Nicolas E. Moreno and Ignacio Trevino-Vasquez late this afternoon at a Pacific area home in south King County.

“We’re delighted that the Marshalls were able to locate and arrest these two men so quickly” said Kent Police Lieutenant Pat Lowery.

“These arrests are just the first round” said Lt. Lowery, “and we anticipate additional arrests will be coming in the next few weeks”.

Original post from Sept. 15
Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas announced the arrest of four suspects and the search for two more in the July 23 shooting at a Kent shopping center that sent 12 people to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

“This success is primarily due … to the cooperation of our regional partners,” Thomas said, citing a renewed focus on violent gang activity in South King County taken up by “local, federal, state and county partners.”

Kent Police issued warrants on Tuesday, Sept. 13 and made the arrests over the next two days using 35 officers in five separate arrest teams.

Those arrested include:

- Martin T. McSmith from SeaTac, 21; charged with first degree assault

- James Lopez Jr. from Seattle, 17; charged as an adult for a drive-by shooting

- Patrick A. Auble from Tacoma, 30; charged with rendering criminal assistance

- Shea C. Auble from Auburn, 21; charged with rendering criminal assistance

Police are still looking for Ignacio Trevino-Vasquez, 19, of Federal Way for first degree assault and Nicholas Moreno, 21, of Auburn, suspected of the same crime.

Those charged with first degree assault are the suspected shooters at the car show and Chief Thomas said there were likely two additional shooters not yet named.

All six men named are believed to be members of the Playboy-Surenos gang, police said.

More details from the shootout also emerged as Chief Thomas addressed the press on Thursday in the parking lot where it occurred – the La Plaza shopping center in the 23200 block of Pacific Hwy South.

Police said there were approximately 250 people attending the unauthorized car show and rap concert. The promoter, a tenant of the shopping center who has since been evicted, did not tell the property owners about the show or secure the proper permits from the city.

During the concert, a member of one of the performing bands encouraged the crowd to “Show your flags,” slang for flashing gang signs. Police said verbal arguments between rival gangs erupted shortly after, which escalated into physical altercations and ultimately the shooting.

Of the 12 people shot, seven were rival gang members. Later that same evening another gang member was shot in a retaliatory drive-by. Police said there were three rival splinters of the Surenos represented at the car show.

According to a Kent Police press release, 14 different agencies interviewed over 150 people and analyzed 70 different cell phone records in the aftermath of the shooting, leading to the arrests made this week.

“This is just the beginning,” Chief Thomas said. “There will be more arrests to come and through our South King County Violent Gang Initiative, we are going to identify and go after other violent criminals in the area and then, most importantly, our prevention and intervention programs need to kick in.”

Background information:
On August 30, King County committed $1.4 million to combating gang problems.