Tiburcio Vasquez.
The Vasquez Gang, led by Tiburcio Vasquez, committed armed robbery and rustled horses and cattle up and down central and southern California from the 1860s to 1875.
Excusing their actions by saying they were “punishing” the whites for discrimination against those of Mexican and Spanish descent, the gang never took advantage of Hispanics, leading to them sometimes being viewed as “folk heroes.” Though the gang’s members changed over the years, some included Abdon Leiva, who later gave state’s evidence against Vasquez; Tomas Redondo, alias Procopio or Red-Handed Dick; the bloodthirsty villain Juan Soto; and Vasquez’s chief lieutenant, Clodovio Chavez.
Though wanted men, the pursuit of the outlaws increased dramatically after they robbed a store in Tres Pinos, California, taking some $200 in gold and leaving behind three dead innocent bystanders in 1873. A $1,000 reward was placed on Tiburcio Vasquez, which later rose to $15,000, sending lawmen from Fresno, Tulare, San Joaquin, Santa Clara, and Monterey Counties scrambling after the elusive leader.
Vasquez gang member Abdon Leiva turned state’s evidence against Tiburcio Vasquez.
Vasquez was finally caught in May 1874, tried, and hanged on March 19, 1875. Vasquez’s loyal lieutenant, Clodovio Chavez, fled to Arizona, where he was killed by lawmen in November 1875 near Yuma, Arizona. Juan Soto was killed in a gunfight with Alameda County Sheriff Harry Morse.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Outlaws & Scoundrels Photo Gallery
Tiburcio Vásquez – California Desperado
See Sources.