Hemet police on Saturday announced the arrests of two men suspected of orchestrating at least one, if not all, of seven attacks on officers since New Year's Eve. But the case is far from closed, Hemet Police Chief Richard Dana said.
Within the last two weeks, physical evidence found at the scene of one attack linked Nicholas John Smit, 39, of Hemet as a suspect, Dana said.
Smit was being held by Hemet police Saturday on suspicion of making a booby trap and assault with intent to murder a police officer. Police did not specify in which attack he may have been involved.
Though evidence against Smit points only to one attack, police believe all seven attacks of booby traps, assassination attempts and arsons are connected.
Smit refused to answer questions by police. Authorities have not determined a motive.
"The bad guy invoked his rights and didn't want to talk to us," Dana said. "He did make a couple statements to lead us to believe he didn't like us very much."
The district attorney's office will review the case Tuesday to determine what charges will be filed. Federal authorities are also reviewing the case for possible federal charges.
Detectives also arrested Steven Hansen, 36, of Homeland on a parole violation for a felon in possession of a firearm. Police are questioning Hansen as a possible suspect, but he was not being held in connection with the attacks.
Both men knew each other, Dana said. Neither man had ties to any gangs or organizations. Dana said police are still searching for at least two additional suspects.
"We want to emphasize this case is not over," Dana said. "We're still investigating the people we have in custody, and there may still be people out there we want to bring to custody."
Friday night, a team of 78 law enforcement officers made up of Hemet police, sheriff's investigators and federal agents served search warrants in Hemet and Homeland where Smit and Hansen were arrested. Detectives continued to comb the sites through Saturday morning.
The arrests emerged from a six-month investigation by Hemet police, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department, district attorney's office, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"Certainly an attack on one community is an attack on all our communities," Riverside County Sheriff Stanley Sniff said. "An attack on a police officer puts the entire public at risk, no matter where they live."
Plagued by attacks
Police were first targeted Dec. 31 when a natural gas line was rerouted to fill the office of the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force. Since then guns have been rigged to fire at officers, arson fires have targeted code enforcement vehicles, the Hemet police shooting range and evidence room, and a World War II training bazooka rocket was aimed to fire at the Hemet Police Station.
No one was injured in any of the attacks.
Police conducted a series of raids in March and April, arresting dozens of people connected with the Vagos Motorcycle Club and the COORS Skins white supremacist gang.
No one arrested in the raids was charged in the attacks, but some men still remain jailed on parole violations and drug and weapons charges. Police said neither man arrested Friday was connected to either group.
There was no answer at Smit's home off Yale Street Saturday afternoon. Hansen's home sits behind a chain-link fence off Highway 74, with "No Trespassing" signs. A black and tan dog wandered in the yard, filled with scrap metal garbage and abandoned cars, next to a tire shop.
Smit pleaded guilty last month to five felonies of cultivating marijuana after being arrested by Hemet police in July 2009, according to court records. He was scheduled to be sentenced to three years in prison July 16.
Hansen had prior convictions of arson, criminal threats and assault, resulting in prison sentences.
Police had no recent contact with either man or received threats leading up to or during the attacks.
Hunt still on
Even with suspects now in custody, Hemet police will continue to be on heightened alert with enhanced security measures as officers review their surroundings and patrol cars, Dana said.
Though many of the targets were unmarked police locations, every site could have been located on the Internet and was frequented by officers in public view, Dana said.
The arrests come as a relief to both the detectives working the case and the community, said Hemet Mayor Eric McBride.
"The community wanted closure in this case," McBride said. "People put a lot of faith in our Police Department, and they are starting to see the fruits of their labor."
Hemet police are still offering a $200,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of conviction of anyone involved. Friday's arrests did not qualify for the reward, Dana said.
"In case anyone was a little bit afraid of these two fellas in custody, they're not going to be coming out anytime soon," Dana said.
TIMELINE
- Dec. 31, 2009: Natural gas is rerouted into the office of the Hemet -San Jacinto Valley Gang Task Force office, rigged to explode.
- Feb. 23: A gun attached to the same office's gate is rigged to fire, barely missing an officer who opened it.
- March 5: A deadly device affixed to an officer's vehicle falls off when he parked at a convenience store.
- March 23: Four Hemet code-enforcement pickups at City Hall were destroyed by fire.
- April 12: The Hemet police firing range is torched in an arson blaze.
- June 4: A World War II-era bazooka training rocket ignites a pallet fire, aimed from the roof of a market at the Hemet Police Station.
- June 28: A fire destroys the inside of the Hemet police evidence storage facility.
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