Top 20 Fresno chronic offender arrested; he's 18

A chronic offender was arrested Tuesday as part of a police investigation into a gun stolen from a southeast Fresno store, the Fresno Police Department said.

Hector Pacheco, 18, of Fresno, was seen in a vehicle by detectives in northwest Fresno at 2:30 p.m. and taken into custody without incident, police said. Inside the car, police said they found two loaded handguns, one of which was the stolen handgun from the gun store.

Pacheco, a Latin King gang member, has been identified as southeast Fresno’s No. 1 chronic offender and was a Top 20 chronic offender citywide, according to police.

On Jan. 9, officers responded to the gun theft and detained two of the three people involved, but the person who stole the gun – later identified as Pacheco – had escaped with the gun, police said.

Deandre Foster, 19, of Fresno, had a robbery warrant from Southern California. Officers found a stolen, loaded handgun in his vehicle, police said. Foster, a Latin King gang member, was arrested and booked into the Fresno County Jail and is still in custody.

The other detained person was not arrested.

Pacheco was booked into the Fresno County Jail for multiple firearms violations and gang enhancements. His bail was set at $254,000.

Last year in southeast Fresno, Pacheco or his home shot at on three occasions by rival gang members, police said. On Jan. 1, he was arrested for possessing a loaded handgun and had posted bail.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 10:20 PM with the headline "Top 20 Fresno chronic offender arrested; he's 18."