Police Step Up Search for Hells Angels Shooting Suspect
One Hells Angel member is suspected of shooting another at funeral.
Oct. 23, 2011— -- Police searched a Stockton, Calif., home and the surrounding area late Saturday night after receiving a tip that the suspected shooter of a Hells Angel member was hiding out in the central California town.
But the search for Steve Ruiz, 38, turned up empty, Sgt. Jason Dwyer of the San Jose, Calif., police department told ABCNews.com.
Ruiz, who is also a Hells Angels member, is wanted for allegedly gunning down Steve Tausan, 52, last weekend at a San Jose cemetery where thousands were attending the burial of another Hells Angels member who was murdered last month at a Nevada casino.
Tausan had told the San Jose Mercury News that he had received death threats following his friend's murder Sept. 23, the newspaper reported.
Tausan was notoriously tried and acquitted for the 1997 fatal beating of a Pink Poodle strip club patron.
At the time of his death, he served as the sergeant-at-arms of the Santa Cruz, Calif., Hells Angels chapter.
Despite a heavy police presence at the memorial, the entire crime scene had already been cleaned before authorities could reach the scene, Dwyer said.
Police believe Ruiz has two black eyes and other injuries, consistent with being in a fight.
He is believed to be traveling with his girlfriend, Christel Renee Trujillo, 42, in a gold or pewter Chevrolet Suburban, Dwyer said.
Tips are pouring in, although Dwyer declined to elaborate on any specific information.
"We will follow every single lead until we find him," he said. "We have investigators working around the clock."