Vigilante makes mistakes in California. Deputies open fire on fleeing suspects

A man tried to take the law into his own hands and fired his gun at officers thinking they were “suspects on the run” in California, authorities said.

Before the shooting, officers responded to a security alarm at a Pick-N-Pull in Stockton at 1:26 a.m. on Oct. 31, the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

Officers followed three suspects and took cover behind a concrete wall separating a Buddhist temple and a home, authorities said.

The homeowner’s security alerted him and he sent his grandson to investigate, officers said.

The grandson grabbed an AR-15 and got into a golf cart “thinking he was following the fleeing suspects,” officers said.

He then fired his gun twice at the officers who were on the grounds of the Buddhist temple, authorities said.

The officers were not injured in the shooting.

They arrested the grandson on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, possession of an assault weapon, possession of a high-capacity magazine and possession of a silencer.

“Taking the law into one’s own hands can escalate conflicts and lead to tragic consequences,” deputies said. “We are grateful that our deputies returned safely to their families.”

Stockton is about a 50-mile drive southeast of Sacramento.

___

Visit The Bradenton Herald (Bradenton, Florida) at www.bradenton.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.