It's an arsenal you'd expect to find on a battle field, carried by soldiers. But early one morning last year it came knocking in this Tulare County
"The next thing we know there's a bunch of people running around, trucks pulling out and people screaming," said neighbor Stephen Manty.
The heavily armed men at the door of Manty's neighbor’s looked familiar, wearing uniforms he'd seen before.
“They had something under it, they looked like cops," said Manty.
But they weren't. According to the Tulare County Sheriff's department, the men that looked eerily like cops were actually gang members, targeting and robbing over a dozen homes in southernTulare County
"We went after them with a vengeance. We've had eighteen detectives working on this for several months and we will have them working on it for several months more," said Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman.
Since February, eight men have been arrested in connection with the home invasions with five coming on Tuesday when more than 150 officers spanned out across the county seizing guns, drugs and equipment stolen and possibly used by the group.
"My opinion is that had we not taken these guys down when we did some would have been killed or injured in the future," said Wittman.
The sheriff's department is still looking for other suspects with the eight in custody currently facing an array of charges ranging from drug possession to burglary.
"The next thing we know there's a bunch of people running around, trucks pulling out and people screaming," said neighbor Stephen Manty.
The heavily armed men at the door of Manty's neighbor’s looked familiar, wearing uniforms he'd seen before.
“They had something under it, they looked like cops," said Manty.
But they weren't. According to the Tulare County Sheriff's department, the men that looked eerily like cops were actually gang members, targeting and robbing over a dozen homes in southern
"We went after them with a vengeance. We've had eighteen detectives working on this for several months and we will have them working on it for several months more," said Tulare County Sheriff Bill Wittman.
Since February, eight men have been arrested in connection with the home invasions with five coming on Tuesday when more than 150 officers spanned out across the county seizing guns, drugs and equipment stolen and possibly used by the group.
"My opinion is that had we not taken these guys down when we did some would have been killed or injured in the future," said Wittman.
The sheriff's department is still looking for other suspects with the eight in custody currently facing an array of charges ranging from drug possession to burglary.