Person suspected of shooting airsoft rifle at Grass Valley pro-police crowd in custody

A person suspected of using an airsoft rifle to shoot at a crowd attending a Back the Blue rally on Saturday faces felony assault charges, authorities said.

Back the Blue rallies have taken place in recent months as Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country, calling for racial justice and a nationwide reckoning over police departments’ use of force, particularly against Black people. Several organizations around the Sacramento region have called for police departments to be defunded. Back the Blue rallies are pro-police and typically call for police funding to either remain the same or increase.

Just after 7 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a report of shots being fired at the corner of Neal and South Auburn streets. Upon arrival, officers determined a passing vehicle shot an airsoft rifle at the crowd. There were no serious injuries, police said.

Airsoft rifles are usually used as part of a competitive team sport similar to paintball, in which opposing teams eliminate each other by shooting them with circular, plastic projectiles.

Officers arrested Jace Samuel Manoguerra, 21, of Grass Valley just after 11 p.m. Saturday.

According to The Union newspaper in Grass Valley, officers identified Manoguerra and a rental van he used Saturday night. After tracing the vehicle led to its owner who identified the renter, California Highway Patrol officers met with Manoguerra.

“He actually agreed to meet with us. He met with us and brought the gun that was used,” Capt. Steve Johnson told The Union.

Johnson told the paper that Manoguerra “very specifically targeted the Back the Blue people.”

Manoguerra, who posted $25,000 bond, faces a charge of felony assault on a person by any means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.

This story was originally published August 9, 2020 at 2:33 PM.