Three suspects were detained and a fourth being sought in a massive manhunt after a Ceres patrol officer was shot at early this morning.
SWAT team members and a Sheriff's helicopter and law enforcement officers from three agencies pinpointed the suspect's location off of Moore Road south of Roeding Road at daybreak. He was considered armed and dangerous. A flurry of SWAT activity was occurring on Moore Road at approximately 8:15 a.m
Nearby Berryhill School was placed on lock down as a large area was cordoned off.
The incident unfolded at approximately 3:40 a.m. this morning when Ceres officer Brian Peterson checked out four suspicious persons at the AM/PM Mini-Mart station at Mitchell and Service roads. The four subjects - two women and two men - were standing near their vehicle when Peterson rolled by. Peterson was attempting to detain one of the men, an unidentified parolee, and do a pat-down search when the man "immediately became combative" said Police Chief Art deWerk and began to wrestle with Peterson. The suspect produced a handgun and fired two close-range shots at Peterson, one bullet shattering the rear driver's side door window of Peterson's patrol car and the other narrowly missing Peterson.
Officer Peterson retreated as the suspect fled to the east. The three other persons were detained and questioned.
"Officer Peterson is okay," said deWerk. "We have a good idea who the suspect is as we have detained his three friends who were with him at the time of the shooting."
SWAT team members and a Sheriff's helicopter and law enforcement officers from three agencies pinpointed the suspect's location off of Moore Road south of Roeding Road at daybreak. He was considered armed and dangerous. A flurry of SWAT activity was occurring on Moore Road at approximately 8:15 a.m
Nearby Berryhill School was placed on lock down as a large area was cordoned off.
The incident unfolded at approximately 3:40 a.m. this morning when Ceres officer Brian Peterson checked out four suspicious persons at the AM/PM Mini-Mart station at Mitchell and Service roads. The four subjects - two women and two men - were standing near their vehicle when Peterson rolled by. Peterson was attempting to detain one of the men, an unidentified parolee, and do a pat-down search when the man "immediately became combative" said Police Chief Art deWerk and began to wrestle with Peterson. The suspect produced a handgun and fired two close-range shots at Peterson, one bullet shattering the rear driver's side door window of Peterson's patrol car and the other narrowly missing Peterson.
Officer Peterson retreated as the suspect fled to the east. The three other persons were detained and questioned.
"Officer Peterson is okay," said deWerk. "We have a good idea who the suspect is as we have detained his three friends who were with him at the time of the shooting."
