Thursday night brawl involving as many as 14 young men with suspected ties to the Sureños and Norteños

Law enforcement officials are saying a Thursday night brawl involving as many as 14 young men with suspected ties to the Sureños and Norteños does not necessarily mean an escalation of gang activity in the county. Tony Gudino Jr., 21, of Colusa, was arrested by Colusa police at Colusa Regional Medical Center after being treated for wounds he reportedly sustained during the brawl, which occurred shortly before 10 p.m. on Lafayette Street, between Bridge and First streets, Sgt. Josh Fitch said. William A. Uribe, 20, of Colusa, also was treated at the hospital, Fitch said. “It sounds like they were in some kind of group fight out in front of (Uribe’s) home,” Fitch said. “Depending on who you talk to, there were six or seven on either side, and looks like it was gang-related,” Fitch said. It also is a matter of which side is being interviewed whether the group with Gudino was just walking by the home and were provoked by Uribe and his friends, or whether Gudino and his friends had come looking for a fight, Fitch said. Police said Gudino reportedly used a bat during the confrontation. He was booked into Colusa County Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm. Bail was set at $25,000. He was treated for cuts to his arm and ear, injuries possible caused by a bottle and rock, Fitch said. Broken glass was found in the area. Knives also were reportedly involved in the fight, but no knife wounds were reported, Fitch said. Police said Uribe and some of his friends may have recently located to Colusa from the Grimes area, and are reportedly connected to the Norteño street gang. Gudino is reportedly connected to the Soreño street gang. Colusa County sheriff’s Lt. Shane Maxey said his office is aware of Uribe, and confirmed he was a Grimes area resident. But Maxey said he is not aware of any escalation of gang activity in the county. There was a fire bombing attempt on College Street in College City early Friday, but that incident has no connection to the brawl in Colusa, Maxey said. An 18-square-inch patch of grass was burned, and the side of the house sustained some smoke damage. The house may have been targeted because of one of the residents, who has a criminal history, but what if any gang motivation may have been involved is unknown, Maxey said. No arrests have been made. “My personal opinion is we have very few hard core gang members (in the county), but they do on occasion step up and become a little more violent,” Maxey said. That violence also tends to happen more frequently at this time of year, he said. Pierce High School had additional law enforcement presence at its Friday night graduation ceremony, but officials said it was purely precautionary and no threats had been received. Fitch said there was no indication that gang activity in Colusa area is on the rise, either. “It has been pretty quiet up to this point,” Fitch said. “These guys are from the Grimes area and just moved to town and this is the first dealing with them to my knowledge.”

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