(L) The back of suspect Vicente Joseph Arroyo's head shows and his hands are handcuffed as his left arm is being held by a law enforcement official. (R) Suspect Vicente Joseph Arroyo's mugshot shows him appearing tired, with his mouth closed and an orange striped shirt.
Vicente Joseph Arroyo allegedly shot at least 80 farm animals in the middle of the night in California (Pictures: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)

A man went on an inexplicable spree shooting at least 80 farm animals in the middle of the night.

Vicente Joseph Arroyo, 39, started to ‘randomly fire multiple weapons’ over a span of three hours early Tuesday.

Deputies responded to reports of gunfire just before 3.30am and could hear shots around a vineyard in Prunedale, California. They imposed a shelter-in-place for a five-mile radius while looking for the shooter.

The sheriff’s office said: ‘Various calibers of weapons could be heard being fired in an area that was extremely dark and covered in thick vegetation.’

An aerial shot shows a Monterey County SWAT armored vehicle and several team members surrounding it
The Monterey County SWAT team approached the suspect and took him into custody without incident (Picture: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)

Only when the sun began to rise and through deploying a drone were law enforcement officials able to find a crashed vehicle on the 16000 block of Avery Lane with a person inside.

Monterey County SWAT team members approached in an armored tank and took the suspect, identified as Arroyo, into custody without incident.

Authorities ‘discovered that Arroyo had killed approximately 80 animals including miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other types of birds’, according to the sheriff’s office.

Some of the animals were saved but others were euthanized because their injuries were so critical.

A long rifle is on a grass area and among multiple weapons recovered by authorities
Authorities recovered multiple weapons that the suspect used to shoot at least 80 animals (Picture: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)

Multiple weapons were recovered including several long rifles, handguns, shotguns and an unlawful assault firearm. Some of the magazines were loaded.

‘It is a horrible scene,’ Monterey County sheriff’s Commander Andres Rosas told KSBW.

‘We are very fortunate that no human lives were lost.’

Arroyo, of Salinas, has been charged with cruelty to animals, willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence, illegal possession of an assault weapon, felon in possession of a firearm, vandalism and criminal threats.

An array of firearms including rifles are in the trunk of a vehicle
Multiple long rifles, shotguns and handguns, including an unlawful assault weapon, were located at the scene along with numerous loaded and empty magazines (Picture: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office)

He is being held at Monterey County Jail with his bail set at $50,000.

Arroyo did not appear to target humans, Rosas said.

‘I’ve unfortunately never seen anything like this,’ he said, ‘When it comes to animal life lost.’

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