NORTH COAST, Calif. – The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office said its detectives are continuing to investigate a reported robbery and kidnapping on Sunday that led to a manhunt and shelter in place order.
Just after 10 a.m. Sunday, authorities said a Cal Fire law enforcement prevention officer on Highway 162 approximately half a mile from the intersection of Highway 101 contacted an adult male who reported being the victim of an armed robbery which had occurred approximately 20 minutes prior.
The adult male told the officer that three to four subjects armed with assault weapon-style rifles and dressed in body armor had fled, possibly southbound, on Highway 101 in a black Chevrolet Tahoe and gray Toyota Tacoma, officials said.
This information was broadcast by radio to on-duty personnel with the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, California Highway Patrol and Ukiah Police Department.
A Mendocino County Sheriff's Office sergeant was on routine patrol on Highway 20 east of Potter Valley when he saw two vehicles matching the suspect vehicle descriptions, the sheriff’s office said.
He attempted a traffic stop on the black Chevrolet Tahoe, which failed to stop and instead accelerated to speeds over 100 miles per hour. Authorities said a vehicle pursuit was initiated with the assistance of the California Highway Patrol.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued several miles eastbound on Highway 20 before making a U-turn and heading westbound on Highway 20 for a short time before turning onto a rural parcel of property near Mile Post Marker 41, which was on the east side of the highway, officials said.
The Chevrolet Tahoe continued along a dirt road in poor condition which led up into the wooded hillside. Fearing an ambush, the patrol sergeant discontinued the pursuit and began to establish a search perimeter, the sheriff’s office said.
During the Chevrolet Tahoe pursuit, officials said a deputy responding to assist the sergeant was able to conduct a traffic stop on the Toyota Tacoma.
Authorities said the deputy identified the driver as Jesus Estevan Vargas Jr., 41, of Moreno Valley, and a subsequent investigation resulted in his arrest in connection with the reported armed robbery.
During the establishment of the search perimeter, authorities said the sergeant learned of a possible exit point to the east along Highway 101. The sergeant took a position at this eastern location to intercept the Chevrolet Tahoe.
A short time later a few gunshots were heard and then a person was heard screaming. Sometime thereafter, law enforcement personnel on the search perimeter were contacted by two adult males. The sheriff’s office said the deputies learned the adult males had been kidnapped during the armed robbery and had been bound by zip-ties and their heads covered by some type of material.
They reported the Chevrolet Tahoe had become disabled on the dirt road and one of the adult male victims was shot in the back while trying to escape. The sheriff’s office said the adult victims reported the two subjects fled on foot, were armed with assault-style rifles and clothed in body armor.
The adult male victim with the gunshot wound to the back of his shoulder was transported by air ambulance to an ouT-of-county hospital for medical treatment, the sheriff’s office said.
Based upon the circumstances of the situation, officials said a request was made for the Mendocino County Multi-Agency SWAT team who later arrived on the scene.
The SWAT team utilized the armored citizen rescue vehicle and drove to the area of the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. At the same time, H-14, a CHP Helicopter, began providing aerial assistance to the SWAT team.
As H-14 conducted overflight operations its crew was able to locate one of the armed subjects in the wooden terrain uphill from the disabled Chevrolet Tahoe. The sheriff’s office said this subject disarmed himself and surrendered to the SWAT team by walking downhill to their position.
The sheriff’s office said H-14 continued overflight operations and located the second subject nearby to where the first subject initially was observed. H-14 was able to see that the second subject was armed with a handgun and rifle.
Sometime thereafter, several gunshots were heard which were attributed to the second subject and H-14 continued to observe his location, officials said.
During this time H-14 radioed to the SWAT team that the suspect had possibly suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound but was still making body movements which showed he was alive and still a potential danger as he was still armed, the sheriff’s office said.
As H-14 began to exhaust its fuel, a mutual aid request was sent to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office for its helicopter Henry-1, which subsequently arrived on the scene. The sheriff’s office said that when H-14 left for refueling, Henry-1 assumed overflight operations and assisted SWAT team members in safely approaching the second subject.
At this time, H-14 was able to return to the scene to provide further assistance as Henry-1 was exhausting its fuel, officials said.
The sheriff’s office said the SWAT team was able to take the second subject into custody and noticed he needed immediate medical treatment due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head.
A SWAT team medic began life-saving treatment and the second subject was immediately transported by sheriff's office vehicle to the staging area near Highway 101 where an ambulance and H-14 were waiting. Authorities said the second subject was prepped for flight and H-14 transported him to an out-of-county hospital for medical treatment.
Sheriff's detectives are conducting ongoing investigations at this time into the reported robbery and kidnapping, the sheriff’s office said.
At the time of the sheriff’s office’s Sunday report, it appeared that the robbery and kidnapping were connected to a marijuana sale/purchase transaction between the involved individuals.
One law enforcement member experienced a heat-related emergency at the conclusion of the several-hour-long event and had to be transported to Adventist Health-Ukiah Valley by ambulance where he was treated/released, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said there were no other law enforcement injuries and no shots were fired by law enforcement personnel during the incident/operation.
The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office thanked Cal Fire, CHP, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, Ukiah Police Department, MedStar Ambulance and Potter Valley Fire Department for their assistance during this incident/operation.
Mendocino County authorities investigate Sunday robbery, kidnapping; two men in custody, third hospitalized
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