The California Department of Justice is confirming they are now investigating why Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in an agriculture field off Highway 183 between Salinas and Castroville Wednesday afternoon. The development comes as Salinas police reveal the man was wanted for trying to kill a Banker’s Casino employee just hours earlier.“It was attempted murder. He tried to run over an employee of Bankers Casino,” said Zach Dunagan, spokesman for Salinas police.Police say they got the call just before 10 Wednesday morning that the suspect had tried to run over the employee in the casino parking lot.“By the time we arrived, he had already fled the scene we got the call I think about five to 10 minutes after it had occurred and he immediately fled after he tried to run over the employee he was last seen on West Market Street,” Dunagan said.According to casino employees that gambler who has yet to be identified visited the casino about once a month. Three hours later he was spotted by a CHP unit on Highway 183. A high-risk stop followed and the suspect was shot by sheriff’s deputies in an ag field between Salinas and Castroville. A department spokesman said this shortly after the shooting.“He began to approach the officers and deputies that were on scene and for reasons unknown, they opened fire on the driver of this vehicle,” said Andy Rosas, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.The suspect was allegedly carrying a screwdriver, by definition according to the Department of Justice that is not a deadly weapon so they are now investigating the deputies to see if they committed a crime when they shot and killed him.The sheriff’s office is not commenting on the shooting so we don’t know if any less than lethal force was used or how many deputies discharged their firearm.The CHP was also on the scene, but it is not the focus of the DOJ investigation, and no CHP officers have been put on leave.A DOJ spokeswoman said the agency’s investigation could take up to a year to complete due to a backlog of cases.See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The California Department of Justice is confirming they are now investigating why Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies shot and killed a man in an agriculture field off Highway 183 between Salinas and Castroville Wednesday afternoon.
The development comes as Salinas police reveal the man was wanted for trying to kill a Banker’s Casino employee just hours earlier.
“It was attempted murder. He tried to run over an employee of Bankers Casino,” said Zach Dunagan, spokesman for Salinas police.
Police say they got the call just before 10 Wednesday morning that the suspect had tried to run over the employee in the casino parking lot.
“By the time we arrived, he had already fled the scene we got the call I think about five to 10 minutes after it had occurred and he immediately fled after he tried to run over the employee he was last seen on West Market Street,” Dunagan said.
According to casino employees that gambler who has yet to be identified visited the casino about once a month. Three hours later he was spotted by a CHP unit on Highway 183. A high-risk stop followed and the suspect was shot by sheriff’s deputies in an ag field between Salinas and Castroville. A department spokesman said this shortly after the shooting.
“He began to approach the officers and deputies that were on scene and for reasons unknown, they opened fire on the driver of this vehicle,” said Andy Rosas, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The suspect was allegedly carrying a screwdriver, by definition according to the Department of Justice that is not a deadly weapon so they are now investigating the deputies to see if they committed a crime when they shot and killed him.
The sheriff’s office is not commenting on the shooting so we don’t know if any less than lethal force was used or how many deputies discharged their firearm.
The CHP was also on the scene, but it is not the focus of the DOJ investigation, and no CHP officers have been put on leave.
A DOJ spokeswoman said the agency’s investigation could take up to a year to complete due to a backlog of cases.
See more coverage of top Central Coast stories | Download our app / Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
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