Nationwide sweep of violent felons nets Bay Area arrests

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- A nationwide sweep of violent felons by U.S. Marshals, and state and local law enforcement agencies netted more than 100 high risk fugitives from the Bay Area.

Nationwide, the multi-agency task force made more than 7,000 arrests. U.S. Marshals targeted seven cities across the country. Oakland was one of them. It was chosen because of its high crime rates.

Six of the arrests were murder suspects. Among them, Alex Davis. He's one of the suspects wanted in the murder of an Oakland mother killed in the crossfire of a gang shooting.

Also arrested in another high profile case was suspected child molester Johnell Carter. He escaped from Santa Clara County jail last month. U.S. Marshals found Carter in Mississippi.

For the past six weeks, U.S. Marshals and a task force of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies fanned out across the greater East Bay, targeting violent felons.

ABC7 News was embedded with teams in Bay Point and Oakland, where numerous arrests were made.

Our crews caught one man being taken into custody at a trailer park. A U.S. Marshal said, "His underlying charge was assault with a deadly weapon."

When team members searched his home, they also found methamphetamine.

From the East Bay, 137 fugitives and gang members were arrested. Some were captured in other states.

"Of these arrests, approximately 23 individuals are affiliated with gangs, 27 guns were recovered, and a large amount of drugs," said Don O'Keefe with the U.S. Marshal Northern District.

Of the 137 arrests, 60 were wanted for crimes in Oakland.

ABC7 News was there in Oakland with federal agents and police when they took several people into custody at one home. They were looking for gang members as well as a gun used in a murder.

Oakland police Chief Sean Whent thanked the marshals for helping his understaffed dept.

"The Oakland Police Department resources are stretched thin and there's constantly demand for services on our city streets," he said.

"Operation Violence Reduction" brought federal agents to the Bay Area from all over the country. Thirteen different agencies from the local, state, and federal levels participated.