Armed suspect shot by Ceres officer identified as 15-year-old from Hughson

The armed person fatally shot by a Ceres police officer on Saturday afternoon was a 15-year-old Hughson boy, Carmen Mendez, according to the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department.

The shooting occurred in a rural area between Hughson and Denair after a pursuit that began when police responded to reports of a gun being brandished in Ceres’ Smyrna Park and a hit-and-run crash. Both reports involved a dark Lexus sedan.

Officers were on their way to the park when a call came in about the hit-and-run near Whitmore Avenue and Mitchell Road. A witness to the crash followed the Lexus and gave real-time updates to dispatchers on its location, said Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Tom Letras.

When an officer located the vehicle, he attempted to pull over the driver, who instead led him on a high-speed pursuit toward Hughson.

When the Lexus stopped on Sperry Road just north of Service Road, Mendez — armed with a handgun — immediately got out, Letras said. The Ceres officer, who was alone at the scene, fired at Mendez, hitting him at least once.

Emergency medical responders treated Mendez at the scene, where he was pronounced dead.

Backup officers who arrived shortly after the shooting detained four other occupants of the Lexus. Two male juveniles and a female juvenile were subsequently released to their parents or guardians. The fourth occupant, 20-year-old Jose Robles of Hickman, was arrested on an unrelated misdemeanor warrant.

No charges were immediately filed against any of the four, Letras said, but the investigation is ongoing. At least two stolen guns in addition to the one Mendez had were found inside the Lexus, the sergeant said.

It was not clear Sunday morning if Mendez was the Lexus occupant who brandished a gun at Smyrna Park.

A female senior citizen was injured in the hit-and-run crash that preceded the chase. She was taken to a hospital for treatment of injuries that were not life-threatening.

The Ceres officer who shot Mendez was placed on paid administrative leave, per Ceres Police Department policy. The officer was not injured in this incident.

Ceres officers wear body cameras, said department spokesman Sgt. Greg Yotsuya. The release of the name of the officer who shot Mendez will be coordinated by Ceres Chief Brent Smith, the Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney’s Office, he said.

Ceres Police Department will do an internal review of the incident, Letras said. Sherif’sf Lt. Mike Parker said his 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.

Anyone with information on the shooting and the events that led up to it is urged to contact Sheriff’s Detective Kamila Sulkowski at 209-525-7032. Anonymous tips may be made by calling Stanislaus Area Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636. Tipsters can also email tips at www.modestopolice.com/crimestoppers or text them to 274637 by typing “Tip704” plus the message and be eligible for a cash reward

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This story was originally published August 19, 2018 at 11:07 AM.