Man accused of accidentally shooting MPs in self-defense

STOCKTON, Calif. (KCRA) – California authorities say a man’s attempt to seek justice led to him mistakenly shooting at law enforcement.

It all happened last Thursday in San Joaquin County.

Deputies initially responded to an alarm at the Pick-n-Pull store on Clark Drive in Stockton around 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning.

“The three perpetrators were fleeing the business through the yard, so we set up a perimeter around the business, get our drone in the air, load up our K-9s and try to catch the bad guys who were trying to steal stuff,” described San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow.

While deputies were taking up their positions, a man who lived in the area called his grandson and said he saw three men running across his porch.

“So he drove out in a golf cart with his assault rifle to help his grandfather, who called him and said there were criminals in his house,” Withrow explained.

A sheriff said an alleged vigilante shot at officers in California by mistake.

The sheriff says this was the suspect’s first mistake.

“Neither Grandpa nor him called law enforcement to say, ‘Hey, look. There is someone at my grandfather’s house and I am going to go there to protect my grandfather out of fear for his safety,” Withrow added.

The man then encountered the suspects at Pick-n-Pull, but they were actually deputies.

“Suddenly someone started shooting at them and luckily both officers were near a concrete cylindrical wall,” Withrow said.

The suspect fired two shots before deputies were able to identify themselves.

“Instead of immediately returning fire, they began shouting commands to drop their weapons, which fortunately the subject immediately did,” the sheriff added.

The suspect was arrested and no one was injured.

“Fortunately, none of the charges at this time involve murder or attempted murder. He was charged with assault with a deadly weapon,” Withrow said.