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Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies shoot and kill armed female robbery suspect
The identity of the woman, who was fatally shot in Willits where the pursuit had ended after confronting deputies while armed with a handgun, was not released by authorities on Tuesday.
Capt. Gregory Van Patten said the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office was notified at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday of an armed robbery of a Chevrolet Camaro at Thurston Auto Plaza, located at 2800 North State Street in Ukiah.
Van Patten said the suspect was described as a white female adult and the Camaro was last seen traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Highway 101 toward Calpella.
A short time later a Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputy saw the Camaro traveling at a high rate of speed northbound on Highway 101 near the Cal Fire Howard Forest station, which Van Patten said is a few miles south of the city of Willits.
The deputy sheriff attempted a traffic stop of the Camaro and a pursuit ensued at speeds over 100 miles per hour onto the Highway 101 bypass, Van Patten said.
Additional Mendocino County Sheriff’s deputies joined the pursuit with assistance from officers from the Willits Police Department, according to Van Patten.
Van Patten said that a short time later the Camaro crashed along the roadside of Highway 101 at Mile Post Marker 49.10 north of the bypass.
He said a white female adult exited the Camaro while holding a handgun and subsequently confronted the pursuing deputy sheriffs and officers.
A shooting resulted and the white female adult died at the scene. No deputy sheriffs or officers were injured as a result of the shooting, Van Patten said.
Highway 101 was closed to both directions of traffic for several hours to preserve scene evidence, Van Patten said.
He said investigators from the Mendocino County District Attorney’s Office were summoned to the scene and will be the lead investigative agency.
District Attorney’s Office spokesman Mike Geniella confirmed that the agency will oversee the investigation into the shooting, but added that there would be no further comment by the District Attorney’s Office on any details until that investigation is complete.