A shocking scene unfolded on Halloween morning when a security guard wielding an AR-15 accidentally shot San Joaquin County sheriff's deputies as they tried to pursue a group of burglary suspects, authorities said.
At 1:26 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to an alarm at Pick-N-Pull, a used auto parts store and salvage yard in Stockton. After arriving, they chased a group of three suspects into a nearby ditch, while two deputies hid behind a cement fence that separates the Buddhist temple from the residence, the County Sheriff's Office wrote in a statement released on social media.
A west side homeowner received an alert from a security camera on her front door, so instead of calling 911, she contacted her grandson, authorities said.
The grandson armed himself with an AR-15 and began chasing the suspects in a golf cart, authorities said. He ran into two deputies in a Buddhist temple and fired at them before they could announce themselves.
The suspect fired two shots, one of which hit the cement wall below where the deputy was hiding, authorities said. Deputies did not fire again.
The man – identified by authorities as Richard Gonzales, 38, of Stockton – subsequently followed the instructions of deputies and was taken into custody without incident.
“Call the law enforcement. Make that your first attempt,” a sheriff's spokesman told The Times.
Gonzales was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine and silencer, among other charges.
“This incident underscores the critical importance of allowing trained law enforcement officers to respond to dangerous situations,” the release said. “Taking the law into one's own hands can escalate conflicts and lead to dire consequences.”
