Modesto man out on bail in one shooting is arrested on suspicion of two more
A 20-year-old Modesto man, out on bail in a shooting case from May, faces charges including attempted murder after being arrested Tuesday on suspicion of two other shootings in October and November.
Devan Smith was arrested after a brief vehicle pursuit and foot chase in northwest Modesto, police said in a news release. He was spotted about noon in a vehicle driven by Javier Calderon, who refused to yield when officers tried to make a traffic stop, police said.
When a chase ensued, ending a short time later at Sisk Road and Kiernan Avenue, both men got out and ran, the release said. Both quickly were taken into custody, and officers recovered a handgun that one of them tossed during the vehicle pursuit, police said.
The spring shooting in which Smith is suspected occurred May 19 in the 900 block of California Avenue. The victim was shot in the leg after an altercation with Smith, police said.
On Oct. 17, Smith was identified as the gunman in an early-morning shooting in an alley near the 300 block of Locust Street, police said. In that crime, a man suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Then on Nov. 29, officers investigated a shooting at the A&M Gas MiniMart at 325 Maze Blvd. Shots were fired toward a vehicle as those involved in a fight were leaving the area. Smith is believed to be the shooter in this incident as well, police said.
Between the three shootings and Tuesday’s pursuits, he faces charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, destruction of evidence, resisting arrest and committing a felony while out on bail.
Calderon, 30 and also of Modesto, was booked on suspicion of felony evasion of arrest.
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 12:01 PM.
