MADERA COUNTY - On June 10, 2019 at approximately 10:38am, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call in the 17000 block of Avenue 12 regarding a man who was outside of his home shooting a gun into the air. Corporal Matt Kutz and Detective Richard Gutierrez arrived at the scene and contacted witnesses who reported the subject had been indiscriminately firing a small semi-automatic handgun into the air less than 20 feet from where they had been sitting. The subject, later identified as Liverato Zavala, went inside the home when deputies arrived.
Sergeant Mark Stritzel and Deputy Marcos Plascencia arrived on scene and established a perimeter outside the residence. Numerous announcements, in English and Spanish, were made requesting that Zavala exit the residence.
After several hours of making announcements, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office Quick Response Team was called out to serve a search warrant on the residence. A short time later, the Madera County Regional SWAT Team was activated to assist in the service of the warrant. During the search, perimeter units located Liverato Zavala outside attempting to conceal himself by lying under a large ivy bush near an open exterior window of the residence. Zavala was taken into custody, without incident, concluding the over 6-hour incident.
During the course of the investigation, evidence was located at the scene related to the unlawful discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of ammunition by a felon, along with an illegal marijuana cultivation operation. Additionally, Zavala had an active felony warrant for his arrest out of Madera County.
Zavala, a 45-year-old Madera resident, was transported and booked in at Madera County Department of Corrections on a felony charge of discharging of a firearm in a grossly negligent manner, and misdemeanor charges including interfering with an officer, being a felon in possession of ammunition, planting/cultivating/harvesting/processing marijuana, and possession of marijuana for sales.
