Police may be getting close to finding the gunmen who killed four African American men in a drive-by shooting at Page and Laguna streets on the night of January 9th.

Cops in Walnut Creek may have found the vehicle used to transport the shooters, as ABC 7 has reported that the rental car appeared at a Hertz dealership in the quiet Bay Area suburb. Last Wednesday, a potential sighting of a suspect returning to the rental car dealership prompted a police foot chase and temporary closure of two nearby schools. Though police eventually located the man hiding in a garbage bin, they ultimately released him and his two companions.

Rental vehicles are common targets for theft, especially if the thieves are plotting a misdeed, according to Sgt. Tom Maguire of the SFPD.

Other details about the killings have emerged as well. At least three of the four men killed were reportedly active members in Mac Block, a gang that’s a part of a loose coalition called Uptown — whose members identify themselves by pressing their knuckles together and raising their thumbs to form a “U.”

The Uptown crew includes the Central Divis Playas (or Posse), a gang we recently wrote about in connection with four separate murders — among other crimes — that the feds are prosecuting.

Despite media reports that the Page Street Mob may have been responsible for the hit, the feds say that in fact, that gang is allied with Mac Block, the CDP, Knockout Posse, Chopper City, and 800 Block. But it’s worth noting that the CDP and Knockout Posse had a violent disagreement that resulted in at least one murder circa 2010.

The Uptown gangs’ rivals have historically been the “Downtown” faction of Western Addition gangs which includes Eddy Rock, also known as Outta Control, according to federal court filings.

We'll keep you posted as police continue the hunt for the suspects, who remain at large.