Denair, CA – An armed suspect was shot and killed by a Ceres Police Officer after a pursuit that ended in a rural area between Hughson and Denair. Shortly after 4:00 PM on Saturday (8/18), Ceres Police Officers were dispatched to the skate park near Smyrna Park in Ceres to a report of a male in a dark colored Lexus sedan who had brandished a firearm.
As Ceres Officers were responding to the park, another call came in to dispatch reporting that a black Lexus had been involved in a hit-and-run collision near Whitmore Avenue and Mitchell Road. A witness followed the Lexus and provided real-time information to dispatchers as to the location of the suspect vehicle. A Ceres Police Officer located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The vehicle failed to yield and led the officer on a high speed pursuit towards Hughson.
The vehicle stopped on Sperry Road just north of Service Road. One suspect immediately exited the vehicle and was armed with a handgun. The Ceres Police Officer, who was alone at the scene, fired at the suspect, striking him at least once. Assisting officers arrived on scene and assisted in detaining four subjects who remained inside the vehicle.
Emergency medical assistance was provided to the suspect who was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene. Several stolen firearms were located inside the suspect vehicle. Stanislaus Sheriff’s Department detectives and Stanislaus District Attorney Investigators were dispatched to the scene to investigate the officer involved shooting.
The four occupants in the vehicle were transported to the Sheriff’s Office for interviews. Two male juveniles and a female juvenile were subsequently released to their parent/guardian. The fourth occupant, Jose Robles (20-years-old from Hickman) was arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor warrant. There were no charges filed against any of the four at this time and the investigation is ongoing.
An elderly female was injured in the hit-and-run collision. She was transported to a local hospital where she was treated for her injuries which were not life threatening.
Detectives worked into the evening to process the crime scene and interview witnesses. The deceased suspect has not yet been identified. The Ceres Officer was placed on paid administrative leave as per their department policy. The officer was not injured in this incident. Ceres Police Department will do an internal review of this incident. For information regarding Ceres Police policy, please contact Ceres Police Department Sergeant Greg Yotsuya at (209) 538- 5719.
If anyone has information regarding this case, please contact Detective Sulkowski at (209) 525-7032.
If you have any tips, you can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Tipsters can also e-mail tips at http://www.modestopolice.com/CrimeStoppers, or text them to CRIMES (274637) by typing "Tip704" plus the message and be eligible for a cash reward
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Adam Christianson, Sheriff – Coroner
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