On January 14, 2025, between 2:00 AM and 3:00 AM, Suspect Hernandez unlawfully entered the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery at the end of McIntire Road in Clements (San Joaquin County). During this time, he forced entry into an unoccupied Fish and Wildlife patrol truck, where he broke a gun lock to seize a rifle and forcibly accessed a locked container where he obtained items, including a duty belt equipped with a handgun and a bullet-resistant vest.

Suspect Hernandez then forced entry into and stole a Fish and Wildlife Utility Truck, which he used to exit the fish hatchery while in possession of the weapons and bullet-resistant vest. This vehicle was driven through two locked gates while exiting the Hatchery. The theft was discovered and reported at about 7:00 AM when employees arrived to start their shift.

At approximately 8:30 AM, officers from the Highway Patrol located the stolen vehicle traveling near Clements at which time an unmarked law enforcement vehicle followed the suspect into Calaveras County. Once in Calaveras County, the suspect began to drive erratically, prompting the CHP officers to initiate a pursuit using marked vehicles that were staged in the area. CHP lost sight of the vehicle due to the suspect’s extremely dangerous driving.

At approximately 10:00 AM, the suspect arrived in the stolen truck at Buena Vista Court in Jenny Lind, where he encountered a homeowner. He pointed the rifle at a victim homeowner, demanding the keys to their vehicle. The victim refused and fled from the suspect while activating 911 to report the incident. The suspect then fled on foot into the canyon, armed with the rifle, handgun, and bullet-resistant vest.

Calaveras Sheriff’s Deputies, Calaveras Probation Officers, and CHP were dispatched, and upon arrival, they quickly established a perimeter to contain the suspect.

At the time that Suspect Hernandez fled into the river canyon, he was arrestable for charges in two counties, which included auto theft, burglary, felony weapons charges, and evading and resisting arrest. Additionally, Suspect Hernandez was also arrestable for charges relating to the robbery of a San Andreas business that had occurred on January 12, 2025. He had also been identified as a suspect in at least one additional robbery which had occurred in San Joaquin County also in January of this year.

Although the suspect’s precise location was not immediately known, information, witness accounts, and the law enforcement perimeter led us to believe he was contained within the canyon and not a threat to vulnerable areas such as schools. The decision was made not to elevate the schools to lockdown, evacuation, or shelter.

We communicated with school officials, and out of an abundance of caution, a deputy was deployed to the school for added security. We also contacted an American Legion ambulance and the Calaveras Consolidated Fire Station, requesting they stage near the incident to reduce their response time. After evaluating all the information known at the time, messaging to residents was accomplished via social media and with assistance from Calaveras Office of Emergency Services staff.

A law enforcement command post was established near Buena Vista Court, while the Emergency Operation Center at the Main Sheriff’s Office was activated to coordinate additional mutual aid resources and communicate with local cooperators to provide efficient management of the incident. As possible sightings of the suspect were reported, law enforcement officers were deployed to those areas to maintain containment. Due to consistent sightings from CHP air assets, law enforcement officers became certain that the suspect was contained in or near the Calaveras River Canyon.

As maintaining an active perimeter continued, it was necessary to utilize law enforcement resources from allied and local law enforcement agencies. In addition, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) teams were used to maintain a visual of the suspect to monitor his actions and confirm he was still armed with the rifle. The command post was also staffed with Crisis Negotiation Teams to help establish communication with the suspect.

During the night, deputies employed UAVs equipped with night vision technology to continue to attempt communication with him, monitor his position, and confirm that he was still in possession of the high-powered rifle, pistol, and bullet-resistant vest. Given the challenging terrain and limited visibility, coupled with the suspect being armed and in possession of body armor, it was decided to focus on ongoing efforts to communicate with the suspect and encourage him to surrender peacefully.

In the early morning hours of January 15th, 2025, additional SWAT Teams arrived to relieve the teams who had been on the scene during the night. The three primary objectives of the incident remained valid: contain the suspect, communicate with the suspect, and arrest the suspect without incident. With increased light from the morning, the UAV teams were able to provide enhanced images of the suspect and his immediate area. Deputies delivered a cell phone to the suspect via a UAV to allow CNT to communicate with him for a peaceful surrender.

It is noted that crisis negotiation phones are closed-loop and provide communication only between the phone and the negotiator. The Crisis Negotiation Team’s efforts to resolve the situation remained challenging due to the suspect refusing to cooperate. CNT persisted in their efforts to get the suspect to move away from the rifle voluntarily, and he eventually did drop the bullet-resistant vest and move away from the rifle. However, he retained the pistol and later picked up and re-acquired the bullet-resistant vest.

CNT deployed a UAV to deliver food to the suspect to gain cooperation. Although the suspect received the food, he remained uncooperative. An arrest team began moving toward the suspect as negotiations continued. As the arrest team was approaching the suspect, the UAV observed the suspect to have a handgun on his person. When asked by CNT to disarm, the suspect removed the firearm from his clothing and refused to comply. He proceeded deeper into the canyon, making remarks intended to escalate the situation to a violent encounter with law enforcement. In response, the approaching arrest team stopped their advance to prevent any unnecessary interaction while maintaining visual surveillance from a concealed location.

The UAV team observed the suspect tying his shoes, tightening his belt, and donning the body armor. Armed with the handgun, he moved through the thick brush, crawling at times until reaching the river’s edge. Once there, he partially concealed himself by lying on the ground near a large log.

At about 3:25 PM, the suspect chose to fire the handgun at law enforcement personnel located near his position. In response to this threat, Calaveras County SWAT team members in the immediate vicinity were compelled to use their firearms for self-defense. The suspect was struck more than one time. Deputies approached the suspect and rendered aid until pre-staged medical staff could be transported via an on-scene helicopter to render further aid. The suspect was pronounced deceased at the scene.

As other SWAT members responded, one lost footing and fell in the steep terrain. The injured deputy was provided with medical care.

The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office and the California Department of Justice and requested their response to provide multiple layers of investigation. Due to the logistical challenges of processing a scene at the bottom of a canyon at night and the requirement for investigators to be flown into the area, the scene was scheduled to begin on the morning of January 16, 2025. However, during nighttime, Detectives began processing other areas of the scene.

On January 16, 2025, investigators entered the canyon to begin processing the scene. After collecting evidence at the scene and gathering statements, it was confirmed that the suspect had discharged one or more rounds from the handgun while refusing to comply with the ongoing commands to surrender peacefully. A Calaveras County SWAT team was able to stop the suspect’s lethal actions by firing their weapons at him. The suspect was struck one or more times.

In accordance with department policy, four deputies involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave. We will continue our follow-up investigations, which will include an autopsy, additional witness statements, and inquiries into the initial theft of the vehicle and weapons.

We would like to thank our allied agency partners for their invaluable assistance during this incident. Their cooperation and collaboration significantly increased public safety:

Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office

Placer Sheriff’s Office

Amador County Sheriff’s Office

California Highway Patrol-Auto Theft Task Force

San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office

Calaveras County Probation

Stanislaus Sheriff’s Office

Calaveras County Office of Emergency Services

Calaveras County District Attorney’s Office

American Legion

Calaveras Consolidated Fire Department

Fish and Wildlife

San Joaquin Probation

Turlock Police Department

Stockton Police Department

Tracy Police Department

California Department of Justice

California Office of Emergency Services