A scary situation unfolded early Halloween morning when an AR-15-wielding vigilante mistakenly fired at San Joaquin County sheriff’s deputies while trying to pursue a group of suspected burglars, authorities said.
At 1:26 a.m. Thursday, deputies responded to an alarm at a Pick-N-Pull, a used auto parts store and salvage yard in Stockton. After arriving, they chased a group of three suspects along a nearby canal, and two deputies took cover behind a cement fence separating a Buddhist temple from a residence, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a statement released on social media.
A homeowner to the west got an alert from his front door security camera and, instead of calling 911, contacted his grandson, authorities said.
The grandson armed himself with an AR-15 and began searching for the suspects on a golf cart, authorities said. He came upon the two deputies at the Buddhist temple and allegedly fired at them before they could announce themselves.
The man fired two shots, one of which hit the cement wall directly below where a deputy was taking cover, authorities said. Deputies did not return fire.
The man — whom authorities identified as Richard Gonzales, 38, of Stockton — subsequently complied with commands from the deputies and was taken into custody without further incident.
“Call law enforcement. Make that your first attempt,” a sheriff’s spokesperson said to The Times.
Gonzales was booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and possession of an assault weapon with a high-capacity magazine and a silencer, among other charges.
“This incident underscores the vital importance of allowing trained law enforcement to handle dangerous situations,” the release said. “Taking the law into your own hands can escalate conflicts and lead to tragic outcomes.”
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