Leader of A-Town Surenos sentenced to life in prison

Joaquin Flores, leader of the local A-Town Surenos, sentenced to life in prison by Merced County Superior Court Judge Schechter.

Defendant Joaquin Flores was sentenced on July 25, 2019, to fifteen years to life in prison for his role in a 2018 attempted murder.

Flores was also sentenced to an additional fourteen years and four months to be served consecutively to the life sentence.

On June 21, 2019, a Merced County jury found defendants, Joaquin Flores and Eric Cruz Madero, guilty of premeditated attempted murder.

The jury also found it true that both defendants were acting for the benefit of a street gang. Flores and Madero are documented members of the A-Town criminal street gang based in Atwater.

A-Town is the largest Sureno criminal street gang in Merced County, and Flores is a known leader.

On June 1, 2018, defendants Madero and Flores were inmates at the Merced County Jail where they conspired with several other Sureno gang members to kill a fellow incarcerated gang member.

In a coordinated gang attack, members of the Sureno gang supplied intelligence and weapons to defendants Flores and Madero to carry out the killing at the downtown jail.

Defendant Flores was the highest-ranking gang member in the cell at the time of the attack and provided a knife and instructions to defendant Madero.

Utilizing two jail-made knives furnished by the gang, Defendant Madero viciously stabbed the victim in the head, chest, and torso in attempt to take the victim’s life.

The victim suffered numerous stab wounds and bone fractures, but ultimately survived thanks to the lifesaving efforts of first responders and medical personnel.

Defendant Madero is currently awaiting sentencing on August 6, 2019 and faces a life sentence.

Deputy District Attorneys Tyson McCoy and Kimberly Madayag prosecuted this case. Defendant Flores’ other convictions, resulting in the additional fourteen years in prison, were for 2017 incidents involving conspiracy to smuggle drugs into the jail and being a felon and gang member in possession of a firearm.

Merced County Sheriff’s Sergeant Eugene Collins conducted an exemplary investigation, exposing the elaborate gang conspiracy in this case.

Detective Matthew Vierra from the Atwater Police Department and California Department of Corrections, Special Agent James Rochester assisted in the investigation.

All three officers played a vital role in the successful prosecution of these violent gang offenders.

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