MARIPOSA COUNTY, CA – On January 21, 2026, at approximately 12:49 p.m., the CHP Sonora Area was dispatched to multiple reports of a man striking vehicles with a baseball bat on State Route 49, just south of State Route 132, in Coulterville. A Sonora CHP officer arrived on scene and later identified the suspect as 49-year-old
Moises Gutierrez Mares of Hawthorne, CA, who was attempting to enter uninvolved vehicles that were passing by.

As the officer attempted to take the suspect into custody, the suspect physically assaulted the officer, causing minor injuries, before fleeing the scene on foot into a wooded area. A search was conducted with assistance from the Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office, including the use of a drone and the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office K-9 units. Due to darkness, the search was eventually discontinued, and the suspect remained at large.

On January 22, 2026, at approximately 6:50 a.m., CHP was notified that the suspect had been located outside of a structure on private property near the area from which he fled. CHP officers responded to the location, and the suspect was taken into custody and booked into the Mariposa County Jail on felony charges.

Thank you to our allied agencies for assisting in the capture of the suspect.

For media inquiries or further information, please contact the CHP Sonora Area Public Information Officer.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service and Security.

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