Three arrested after Somerton shooting sparks cross-border chase

A shooting near West County 14th Street and South Somerton Avenue in Somerton turned into a multi-agency pursuit Wednesday night, ending with three arrests after the suspect vehicle crossed into California.

The Yuma County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called at about 8:45 p.m. on May 27 to the shooting scene. When they arrived, they found a male victim with an apparent gunshot wound. The Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department took him to Onvida Health in stable condition.

Investigators said the victim was driving when a firearm was discharged at his vehicle from another vehicle. He managed to drive away from the scene and call 911 himself, a move that helped deputies and investigators respond quickly and follow the trail as the suspects fled west from the Somerton area.

The suspect vehicle then tried to escape by entering California, but law enforcement partners working together located it and detained three people. Those arrested were identified as Manuel Sandoval, 24, of Somerton; Joseph Rivas, 28, of Somerton; and Alejandro Gonzalez Alvarado, 24, of Yuma. All three were booked into the Imperial County Jail.

The response drew in the U.S. Border Patrol, the Quechan Police Department, Somerton Police Department, Imperial County Sheriff’s Office and Yuma Police Department, showing how quickly agencies on both sides of the state line can coordinate when violence spills from the Somerton corridor into neighboring California. For residents in western Yuma County, the case also underscored how close the border region is in daily life and how fast a shooting can become a cross-jurisdiction search.

The sheriff’s office said the Criminal Investigations Bureau has assumed the case, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office at 928-783-4427 or share what they know anonymously through 78-CRIME.