Three arrested in pistol-whipping of Roseville teenager

Three people have been arrested in connection with the Valentine’s Day pistol-whipping of a teenage boy in Roseville.

Two people were arrested shortly after the assault and the third was taken into custody Saturday morning in San Diego County, according to a Roseville Police Department news release.

The incident was reported at 4:23 p.m. Feb. 14. Officers were called to the 200 block of Duranta Street, where two men had confronted two teenage boys who were walking in the neighborhood. Police said the men threatened the youths with a handgun and made gang-related comments. After pistol-whipping one of the boys, the men left in a waiting car, and witnesses called police, the news release said.

Officers recognized the men and the car from witnesses’ descriptions, and found the car and two of the suspects nearby. Melissa Narvaez Avato, 24, of Roseville was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy and violation of probation. Police also arrested Jose Aron Lopez, 27, also of Roseville, on suspicion of assault with a firearm, child abuse, making criminal threats and brandishing a firearm.

Police continued searching for the third suspect, 28-year-old Benny Landeros Lopez, in Roseville and the Sacramento area. Early Saturday, they learned that he was traveling through the San Diego area and asked law enforcement agencies there to detain him, police said.

Benny Lopez was arrested on a warrant for assault with a firearm and several related offenses, police said. He was taken to the San Diego County Jail to await transfer back to Placer County.

This story was originally published February 28, 2017 at 5:27 PM with the headline "Three arrested in pistol-whipping of Roseville teenager."