Manhunt Continues for Suspect Tied to Alleged Stolen Car & Officer Involved Shooting Near Millerton Lake

A massive manhunt through the wilderness of Madera County is underway, specifically in the area north of Millerton Lake. Madera County Sheriff Deputies alongside the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office are looking for a man connected to an alleged stolen vehicle and deadly officer involved shooting from Thursday morning. They said the man could be armed and dangerous.

Madera County Sheriff Jay Varney and Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said the hunt for the suspect, described as a white male in his mid-20s, began after an officer involved shooting around 4am. Mims said her deputies were following a suspected stolen vehicle. The man and woman in the car allegedly noticed deputies were behind them, and Mims said the suspects drove up north of Millerton Lake and ran into a house near the community of Fine Gold. Investigators said a man living in the house pointed a weapon at police.

Mims said, "Male subject came to a window with a rifle, was shouting back at law enforcement, and at one point he pointed the rifle outside the window at law enforcement and a deputy sheriff fired his rifle, striking the suspect. He’s deceased at the scene."
 
Mims would not give anymore information on the deceased person in the house. Investigators are still trying to determine if the two suspects in the car knew the man in the house. Varney and Mims said the woman in the suspected stolen car was arrested shortly after, and the man in the alleged stolen car took off on foot from the house.

On Thursday afternoon, helicopters from the Madera County Sheriff’s Office could be seen flying overhead combing through the wilderness. Deputies from both agencies searched door to door, asking neighbors to be on the lookout. The suspect is described as a white male, about six feet tall, blonde hair, with tattoos, last wearing a black tanktop and either khaki or jean shorts, and investigators believe he has a cut on his forehead.

Mark Anthony Daddato lives in the area where deputies were searching. He called the manhunt, "Very bizarre because it’s just so low key, so laid back here, and all we have to do is look at the deer running around the property, and now all of a sudden we have helicopters and policemen!"
 
Varney commented about the suspect, "He has been seen by neighbors in the Hidden Lake Drive area on the north side of Millerton lake. We have a number of deputies, people from Fish and Wildlife, and the helicopter in the area trying to locate his whereabouts."

"We’re definitely going to keep an eye out, because we have to go to bed at night. If it gets dark and they still haven’t found him yet, that’s when it can be dangerous," said Daddato.