Firefighter accused of attempted murder in Manteca bar stabbing
A local firefighter on Sunday morning was being held at the San Joaquin County Jail facing an attempted murder charge in connection with a stabbing at a bar a few weeks ago.
Brandon Dean Burlingame, 35, of Manteca, was being held in custody without bail. Along with the attempted murder charge, he was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
He was booked at the jail Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to make a court appearance Monday afternoon, according to San Joaquin County Sheriff's jail inmate records.
The stabbing was reported at 10:13 p.m. on Dec. 1 at The Pub, a bar in the 1300 block of North Main Street in Manteca. A 43-year-old man had been stabbed and suffered serious injuries. The injured man was hospitalized and was expected to survive the stabbing.
Officers arrived at the bar and learned the suspect was wearing clothing with a Jus Brothers Motorcycle Club patch, according to the Manteca Police Department. The suspect had left the area before police arrived at the bar.
The department's Gang Suppression Unit investigated the stabbing and identified Burlingame as the suspect. Police officials found and arrested Burlingame about 7:45 a.m. Thursday.
Manteca city officials confirmed Burlingame is a firefighter employed by the Lathrop-Manteca Fire Protection District, and he is not a Manteca city employee. The district department provides fire protection for Lathrop and rural areas around Lathrop and Manteca.
A news release from Lathrop-Manteca Fire Protection District officials indicated they were informed on Thursday morning of Burlingame's arrest. They said the allegations against Burlingame conflict with the district's mission, but they did not include Burlingame's name in the news release.
"It is imperative that the public understand that at no time was the safety of the public in jeopardy while this member was on duty," according to the news release posted on the district's Facebook page. "The alleged incident for which they were arrested did not occur while in uniform, while on district property or while the employee was working."
District officials said they are fully cooperating with the Manteca police investigation, and they will not comment further about the criminal case as it makes its way through the judicial process. They also said state law prohibits district officials from commenting on any personnel matters regarding this case.
"While we consider this an isolated incident, we fully understand that this may call into question the trust of the communities we serve," district officials said. "From the highest levels of ranking officers and the over 50 members within the organization, we can assure you that we will continue to work in strengthening our relationship ties to our constituents through the mission of the Lathrop-Manteca Fire District."
Manteca police officials asked anyone with information about the stabbing to call Sgt. Gregg Beall at (209) 456-8164.
This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Firefighter accused of attempted murder in Manteca bar stabbing."