One man dead in officer-involved shooting after car chase from Ceres to rural Denair

A man who allegedly brandished a handgun at a Ceres skate park Saturday afternoon was shot and killed by Ceres Police after a pursuit, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Tom Letras said Ceres police received a call around 4 p.m. that a man in a dark-colored Lexus sedan was brandishing a firearm at people in the skate park at Smyrna Park. No injuries were reported at the park, Letras said.

While on their way to investigate, Ceres police also received a call about a hit-and-run accident at Whitmore Avenue and Mitchell Road involving a car with a similar description as the Lexus, Letras said. An eyewitness to the hit and run followed the car and gave police the location of the vehicle.

When officers located the Lexus, a pursuit ensued between Ceres police and the suspect’s vehicle, ending at Service and Sperry roads near Denair, about 10 miles from the initial call. One man got out of the car and fled with a firearm. Shots were fired, Letras said, and a Ceres officer struck the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

Letras said one officer was involved in the shooting and backup officers arrived shortly after. He did not know if the suspect had also fired his gun.

After the shooting, police discovered four additional suspects inside the car who were taken into custody without incident. They were being held for questioning to determine their involvement in the case, Letras said.

Letras had no further identification or description of the dead male, nor any description of the other four suspects.

Stanislaus Sheriff Lt. Mike Parker said the department will handle the investigation, in conjunction with the District Attorney’s office.

This is the second fatal shooting involving Ceres police in the past year. In October, officers fired their guns at the driver of a fleeing vehicle, killing Nicholas Adam Pimentel, of Modesto.

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This story was originally published August 18, 2018 at 7:37 PM with the headline "One man dead in officer-involved shooting after car chase from Ceres to rural Denair."