Around 4:00 Thursday morning, members of the Fresno HEAT (Help Eliminate Auto Theft) Task Force located a stolen car in Fresno County.
The followed the suspect into Madera County.
The suspect discovered he was being followed and lead law enforcement officers to a home on the 49000 block of Road 210, near the community of Fine Gold.
The suspect got out of the car and ran toward the house, and HEAT members surrounded the home.
Officers and deputies exchanged dialogue with a resident inside the home (not the car theft suspect) for approximately one hour.
The resident then pointed a rifle out a window of the home in the direction of officers.
A Fresno County Sheriff’s Deputy who is on the HEAT Task Force fired two shots with his rifle at the gunman, which struck and killed him.
The Madera County Sheriff’s SWAT team searched the house and found it to be empty.
Investigators are still trying to determine if there is a relationship between the deceased gunman and the auto theft suspect.
A woman who was inside the stolen vehicle has been taken into custody.
The driver who fled the car has not been located.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are actively searching the area for this man both by air and on the ground.
He is described as being white, in his mid-20s, 6 feet tall with blond hair and several tattoos.
He may be wearing a black tank top, beige or blue shorts and have a cut on his forehead.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts is asked to please contact the Sheriff’s Office at (559) 600-3111 or call Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP (7867).
