A 33-year-old Ceres man who was the subject of a prolonged manhunt by the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department for a spree of residential burglaries and car thefts, was arrested during a Friday afternoon car stop.

Brandon Loyd, 33, of Ceres, had eluded deputies for months but was apprehended during a 4:40 p.m. traffic stop on Hills Ferry Road outside of Newman.
In December, Patterson Police Services detectives had identified Loyd as the suspect in a residential burglary in which firearms had been stolen. In January Sheriff’s detectives identified Loyd as the suspect in a residential burglary in south Modesto where firearms were taken. Loyd’s image was caught on surveillance video as he arrived at the south Modesto home in a stolen vehicle.
Detectives began searching for the Ceres man and missed apprehending him at several locations throughout Stanislaus and Merced counties.

Loyd was identified as committing several more burglaries and vehicle thefts. Detectives believed Loyd was armed and had told friends and family that to avoid jail time he would commit suicide by cop if necessary.
On Feb. 20, the Sheriff’s Department posted a wanted poster for Loyd on their Facebook page warning that he was believed to be armed and dangerous. Tips supplied to Crime Stoppers allowed detectives to follow up on leads. On Friday, detectives received a tip that Loyd would be in the area of the 13000 block of Carpenter Road. Undercover detectives in unmarked vehicles staked out the area and shortly after 4 p.m., spotted Loyd as a passenger in a vehicle.
Detectives requested assistance from patrol and the Sheriff’s Department helicopter as they followed the vehicle. Once the helicopter arrived, Deputy Nathan Crain and his canine Colt, pulled in behind the vehicle to stop the car at Hills Ferry Road just west of River Road east of Newman.
As the car slowed, Loyd jumped out of the passenger side and ran about 10 yards into a ditch where he was apprehended by the canine.

Loyd was treated for a bite wound at a local hospital and then transported to the Public Safety Center where he was booked for three counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of auto theft and two counts of possessing a stolen vehicle. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding any of these cases is encouraged to call Detective Wilson at 525-7022.
Video of the traffic stop and K9 apprehension was recorded by the Sheriff’s Department helicopter and posted on the Sheriff's Department Facebook page.