[11-05-2024] – Man Accused of Mistakenly Shooting at Deputies in Act of Vigilante Justice

California authorities report that a man’s attempt at vigilante justice resulted in him mistakenly opening fire on law enforcement officers. This incident transpired last Thursday in San Joaquin County.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. that Thursday, deputies responded to an alarm at the Pick-n-Pull store located on Clark Drive in Stockton. “There were three subjects running from the business through the yard, and so we set up a perimeter around the business and we’re getting our drone up in the air and getting our K-9s in and trying to catch the bad guys that were trying to steal stuff,” explained San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow.

As the deputies positioned themselves, a local resident called his grandson, reporting that he had seen three men dash across his front porch. “So, he came down on a golf cart with his assault rifle to help his grandfather, who had called him and said there were bad guys at his house,” Withrow elaborated.

In an apparent act of vigilantism, the man mistakenly fired at the deputies. The sheriff noted this was the suspect’s first error. “Neither the grandfather or he called law enforcement to say, ‘Hey, look. Somebody is at my grandfather’s house and I’m going to go down there to protect my grandfather,’ fearing for his safety,” Withrow stated.

Upon encountering what he believed were the suspects from the Pick-n-Pull, the man opened fire, unaware that those he targeted were actually deputies. “All of a sudden from behind, somebody started shooting at them and, thankfully, both the officers were near a concrete cylinder wall,” Withrow recounted.

The suspect discharged two rounds before the deputies could announce their presence. “Instead of instantly returning fire, they started yelling commands to drop the firearm, which, thankfully, the subject did immediately,” added the sheriff. The suspect was subsequently taken into custody, and fortunately, no injuries occurred during the incident.

“Thankfully, none of the charges are murder or attempted murder at this time. He’s being charged with assault with a deadly weapon,” Withrow confirmed.