Burglary suspect trying to get away from detectives in Lathrop drowns in slough
A burglary suspect who jumped into a slough off of the San Joaquin River while fleeing from police drowned Wednesday afternoon.
A San Joaquin County sheriff’s detective assigned to Lathrop found the suspect, Joseph Chisholm, near a restaurant and bar along the Walthall Slough, said Deputy Andrea Lopez. The area is south of the Highway 120 and Interstate 5 interchange and just east of the river.
The 29-year-old Manteca resident ran from detectives when he saw them and jumped into the slough, Lopez said. They called for him to come back, but he refused and ultimately is believed to have drowned, she said.
“Some people are asking why wouldn’t the deputies go in the water,” Lopez said. “The average deputy has not been trained to go in the water with all their gear on.”
The sheriff’s boating unit did respond to the scene, along with the Lathrop Manteca Fire Rescue/Dive Team, and searched for Chisholm for about an hour. Boat deputies located Chisholm’s body using a tool that could reach the bottom of the slough.
The Sheriff’s Office “invoked a joint (multi-agency) protocol in this case,” according to a press release. Deputies will be working with the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office on the case.
This protocol is typically used in officer-involved shootings, in-custody deaths or other critical incidents, Lopez said.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 4:28 PM.
