South Lake Tahoe, CA…On Friday, December 04, 2015, around 10:00pm, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department SWAT Team, with the assistance of the SLEDNET task force and the Crisis Negotiation Team, executed a high risk search warrant and arrest warrant at 816 San Francisco Avenue. Inside apartment #1 officers found and arrested 43 year old Samuel Tovar (aka David Angeles and several other names). Tovar is the suspect in the drive-by shooting which occurred on Spruce Avenue in South Lake Tahoe near midnight on Wednesday, October 14th, 2015. Tovar has been booked into the El Dorado County Jail in South Lake Tahoe with a $1 million bail.

Inside the apartment, investigators found a .40 caliber Glock handgun which is believed to be the weapon used in the drive-by shooting. Also located was a 5.56x45mm caliber SKS semi-automatic assault rifle. Tovar is an ex-felon, who has a violent criminal history, and is prohibited by law from possessing firearms or ammunition.

The investigation began almost two months ago, after a 19 year old South Lake Tahoe man was shot in the leg during a drive-by shooting on Spruce Avenue, in the area of Ski Run Boulevard. The victim had been standing among a small group of friends on the side of the road when a pick-up truck, driven by the suspect, drove up to their location and displayed a handgun. As the group of people began to flee, the suspect fired one round through an open passenger window. The victim was shot in the leg and made his way to the hospital, where police were notified. The investigation with regard to the possibility of this crime being gang related is still in progress.