Ritu Jha-
Jennifer R. Dupré, District Attorney, Sutter County, spoke to indica about Operation Broken Sword that led to the arrest of 17 Sikh men in connection with the shootings at California gurdwaras in 2021 and 2022. She said she has many friends in the Sikh community and she has learned from them about this religion…. but these men were “making the very peaceful and caring religion look bad.”
On April 16, 17 Sikh men were arrested, and they now face felony charges for numerous violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders in California.
Dupré told indica over the phone that the investigation has been going on for a while and that violence has been escalating from fists fights to swords to guns.
“We all first thought its just a small group of folks who don’t get along, but we were surprised by how big the group was,” Dupré said.
She said people are afraid and they don’t want to talk, but the actions of these few impacted the overall Sikh and Punjab communities so much, “it made people afraid.” She said those who do not know, think this is the whole Sikh community. It is not fair to them.”
She said there are two groups involved in the violence. “One is the Minta group, the other is called the AK-47 group. It mostly appears to be two groups that used to be one. And now they don’t get along and they take advantage of each other and get violent.”
Most of them are in their 20s to mid-30s, the DA said. “They are not teenagers and they are old enough and know better what they are doing.”
She said she is not aware of their immigration status, and added, “My view is they are committing crimes and I don’t care they are here legally or illegally or seeking asylum or on green cards.”
She said, “We did arrest one person who was selling guns to the group. We are still working on it. Sunday was Stockton Sikh Parade, and we wanted to make sure nothing bad happens to that.”
“This past Sunday, we issued a search warrant and discovered that two men were going to commit murder, and we stopped it. At the Sacramento Sikh Temple there two cars, with six weapons that almost made it to the [2023 Stockton Vaisakhi Day Festival] parade. They had semi-automatic weapons and extended magazines. If that had made it to the parade and into the temple,”… she paused, and said, “Yeah… that would have been pretty bad.”
She said they really started looking into the issue after the shooting in Yuba City in 2021. But they thought it was more about individual back in 2018.
District Attorney Rob Bonta office informed indica that Yuba City police department has been investigating these groups since 2018, California department of justice became involved in February 2023.
The shooting at the Stockton Sikh temple was one of the violent incidents which led to CA DOJ’s involvement in this investigation. In August of 2022, five people were shot and injured. Two people were shot and injured at the Sacramento Sikh temple in March 2023.
“We believe we prevented a shooting from occurring by arresting four suspects and seizing two assault rifles and four handguns two hours before the shooting, a statement said.
Indian American Assemblywoman Dr Jasmeet Bains reacting to the arrest told indica she wants to thank the men and women in law enforcement who are bringing justice to the victims and their families for these crimes.
“Guns and gang violence are never acceptable, but it is especially galling when people are targeted in their house of worship. The Sri Guru Granth Sahib contains teachings of peace, love, and trust in God. History has proven that violent crimes against our brothers and sisters are powerless to shake our faith. These events only make us grow closer and strengthen our resolve as a community,” Bains said.
Asked what can to done to stop young men to stay away from crime, Dr Bains said, “Organized crime preys on people who society neglects. We must do a better job of ensuring people from all walks of life have opportunities to live the American Dream. That includes a quality education for every child and job opportunities that allow people to buy a home and raise a family.”
According to a press release, 41 firearms were seized from suspects responsible for numerous violent crimes and shootings, including five attempted murders, in Sutter, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Yolo, and Merced counties.
Two arrested persons attempted murder at a wedding in Yuba city in September 2021, one on charges of child pornography and using assault weapons. Five men were arrested for attempted murder conspiracy and shooting in woodland in Dec. 2022. Two people arrested are fugitive and wanted in India. They are currently held in Jail held without bail.
The joint law enforcement effort culminated on Monday in a large-scale operation with agents executing search warrants at 20 locations, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Yuba City Police Chief Brian Baker, and Sutter County District Attorney Jennifer Dupre announced.
Dupre said, “The investigation is ongoing and still five arrests have to be made and we have arrest warrant and they will be arrested soon… some have been arraigned today, April 18 others are being tomorrow.”
She added, “We know that majority of the community are very peaceful caring people and what these two groups are doing and the way they are reflecting on the community overall isn’t right and they need to be stopped.”
