The male suspect was chased down Highway 29 to the outskirts of Lakeport by sheriff’s deputies at around noon on Tuesday. Outside of Lakeport he left his vehicle and fled on foot, with K9s deployed to look for him, as Lake County News has reported.
The suspect was described as a black male adult, wearing a red hat and white shirt, and armed, according to a reverse 911 call the Lake County Sheriff’s Office sent to area residents shortly before 8 p.m. Tuesday. He was reported to be from out of the area.
Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen said his agency sent a unit to assist the sheriff’s office in the search.
California Highway Patrol Officer Kory Reynolds said the CHP sent a fixed wing aircraft from Napa to assist from the air.
However, as the day wore on, the search didn’t locate the suspect, with the CHP pilot reporting over the radio just before 3:30 p.m. that he had searched unsuccessfully for the man, noting that the area had a lot of outbuildings and trees.
About 20 minutes later, Central Dispatch reported receiving calls that a male subject was seen crawling along a fence line in the 900 block of Keck Road, behind Westside Community Park, in an area where sheriff’s units had previously been stationed.
At around 6:30 p.m. radio traffic indicated that someone in the search area called to say a fence had been knocked down and someone had gone through clothing in a nearby vacant home.
The suspect was reported to have shot off his weapon at one point, according to radio traffic. He also was reportedly being chased by some of the area’s residents.
Two CHP units were reported to have been sent in to assist with the search.
A helicopter was seen circling over the search area later in the evening. Radio traffic indicated a heat signature had been picked up in the area.
Sheriff's booking records showed that two other subjects were booked into the Lake County Jail Tuesday evening after having been arrested on first-degree robbery and conspiracy charges at around 1 p.m. It was not immediately clear if those subjects had a connection with the man being pursued outside of Lakeport.
More information on the search will be posted as it becomes available.
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