52 arrested after Corona raids targeting Mexican mafia

CORONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Police served search warrants at several homes across the city of Corona Thursday morning as part of a multi-agency sweep.

At one location on Merrill Street, officers knocked down a fence with an armored vehicle before 4 a.m., and then shot and killed a pit bull in the backyard.

"I don't understand all of this. They shot my dog. It was three in the morning. They said because we were criminals," said Carol Bravo.

"When they went back there, I didn't hear the dog bark at all," said Tiffany Brown, a neighbor. "They barked, but then they stopped, and then I heard three gunshots, and then they shot the dog. It's sad."

Police say someone in the house took off running. While giving chase, they encountered the pit bulls. They used nonlethal rounds on one dog, but shot and killed the other one. The dog owner was seen outside his home, too distraught to talk to the media.

Bravo's son was one of 52 arrested as part of the operation targeting gang members who show allegiance to the Mexican mafia. But not everyone arrested was a gang member.

The series of raids netted 67 firearms, along with $100,000 in cash and drugs with a street value of $1.6 million.