Deputies were at west Stanislaus home investigating trespassing when shots were fired
Stanislaus County sheriff’s deputies had to “scramble to take cover” when a man opened fire at the property where they were investigating a reported trespassing.
The deputies had been at the property on Jennings Road, south of Zeering Road, for about 10 or 15 minutes when the shooting took place just after 10 p.m., said Sgt. Luke Schwartz.
“During the preliminary investigation while they were doing interviews, multiple shots were fired toward a vehicle that was trying to leave the property,” he said.
He said the suspect was shooting at the vehicle, a Jeep, in an effort to disable it and prevent the woman from leaving in it. Deputies were nearby and had to take cover.
The Jeep crashed into a parked car on the property and became stuck. The woman driving it was not injured by either gunfire or the impact of the collision.
More deputies responded to the scene, along with an armored truck, and surrounded the house from which the shots were fired.
About 45 minutes after the shooting and multiple commands by deputies for the suspect to surrender, he came out of the house.
Randall Rigney, 57, was arrested on suspicion of shooting at an occupied vehicle.
A search warrant was obtained for the home and a gun was located.
Other people at the property were detained and questioned, but no one else was arrested, Schwartz said.
This story was originally published July 24, 2020 at 12:02 PM.
