Tensions Remain Between Soboba Tribe and Authorities in Wake of Shooting

A week after a deadly shooting on the Soboba Indian reservation in San Jacinto, relations between the tribe and law enforcement remain tense. Two tribe members were killed in a shootout with Riverside County Sheriff's deputies. It was the latest in a string of violent encounters on the reservation between tribe members and deputies. KPCC's Steven Cuevas reports federal officials are trying to calm down both sides.

Steven Cuevas: Last Monday's violence was sudden and unexpected. Riverside County assistant sheriff Patrick McManus says a couple of security guards at the Soboba Casino had just begun their evening shift when a black car slowly rolled past their security booth.

Patrick McManus: Guns pointed out the window and they shot up the guard shack. So they dived to the ground and began dialing 911.

911 Operator: 911. State your emergency.

Guard: Hello, I'm calling from Soboba Road.

911 Operator: OK.

Guard: There's a shooting here.

911 Operator: Was somebody shot?

Cuevas: Moments after deputies arrived on scene, that car came back.

McManus: They observed it come down the road and stop, and just sat there for awhile. Two people got out of the vehicle and fired on the deputies. Our deputies were not hit, but one vehicle was shot up pretty good. The back window was blown out, and took some rounds in the side.

Cuevas: SWAT teams chased the suspects deep into the foothills of the reservation. They turned out to be tribe members Joseph Arres and Angelica Lopez. Arres was already wanted for skipping a court hearing on a weapons conviction.

After a long standoff with more gunfire, Arres and Lopez were shot and killed. The reservation was locked down so the crime scenes could be checked out. Tribal residents were kept away for hours. Tribe chairman Robert Salgado warned residents not about the suspects, but about the deputies.

Robert Salgado: They got all the SWAT teams. They got their guns loaded, so, you know, they're probably gonna shoot first and ask questions later. So I just want you all to stay inside...

Cuevas: Salgado compared the deputies and their commander to General Custer and the cavalry. Salgado isn't talking to reporters now. Assistant sheriff Patrick McManus says his deputies did the right thing, given the circumstances. But he says, from now on, deputies will respond to emergency calls on the reservation only if they have ample backup.

McManus: We don't want our folks getting hurt, and if the tribe views that as excessive staffing, when you have that history of police officers and deputy sheriffs being shot at by, you know, various people, we just want to be careful.

Cuevas: Since December, four Soboba tribe members have been killed in armed standoffs with Riverside County deputies. There've been other incidents, too. County firefighters called to the reservation have been shot at. James Fletcher heads the federal government's Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Southern California.

James Fletcher: Tribes, just like anybody else, you know, their members sometime make mistakes, and sometimes they happen to spend some time in jail or in prison. Maybe they're beginning to learn some of that from their experiences.

Cuevas: Fletcher blames the rash of gunfire partly on a small group of tribe members mixed up with gangs and drugs. He says prosecuting them can be a challenge. The Soboba Reservation is a sovereign nation, so outside law enforcement reaches only so far.

Fletcher: Because they are not open to the general public, so they have these islands that sometime may become havens for methamphetamine production and stuff, because they are closed, and they are close knit communities. They're really tight-knit communities.

Cuevas: Some Soboba leaders claim the deputy-involved killings are retaliation for the tribe's decision two years ago to break a contract for policing the reservation. The tribe said the deputies weren't doing a good job. But one sheriff's official said they might have been too good, hinting that tribe officials are covering for criminals.

Jeff Stone: This is gonna have to stop.

Cuevas: Last week, Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone urged both sides to cool down.

Stone: And we will work cooperatively with the Soboba tribe, with the sheriff, to ensure not only the public safety for the residents that live on the reservation, but also, just as important, the public safety officers that are putting their lives on the line every time they come into the reservation and are subjected to random gunfire.

Cuevas: Last Friday, Soboba tribe leaders met with the top brass of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department. Officials with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Indian Affairs served as mediators. The tribe and the sheriff are talking about ways to possibly let deputies patrol the reservation again. Neither side gave details, except to say more meetings are planned.