May 9, 2025 – Kern County Sheriff’s Office officials report that they are aware of the community concerns and questions surrounding this incident, many of which have revolved around the condition of the residence. Critical incidents are very volatile and can evolve rapidly into exigent circumstances requiring swift law enforcement action. It is the policy of the Sheriff’s Office that the primary law enforcement responsibility, should a critical incident develop, is to protect the lives of every person involved in the situation in returning the situation to normal status.

Related: Wanted Suspect Arrested in Oildale After Allegedly Shooting at Kern County SWAT Team During Standoff

Penal Code § 844 & 1531 addresses the circumstances under which deputies can force entry into a residence to serve a warrant or make an arrest. In many critical incidents, the presence of a highly trained, highly skilled tactical unit has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of injury or loss of life to citizens, deputies, and suspects. The Kern County Sheriff's Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team responded to this incident and utilized a variety of less lethal force options and specialized equipment to breach and/or dismantle portions of the exterior of the building, after deeming the action necessary for the safety of the deputies and the community to apprehend the suspect. To maintain the integrity of ongoing operations and ensure public safety, no further details on the specific tactics utilized will be released. 

In 2022, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office acquired a Rook armored critical incident vehicle, which was identified as a vital piece of specialized equipment that improves overall operational safety for the SWAT Team. This includes, but is not limited to tactical approaches, strategic maneuverability within inner perimeters, and rescue/evacuation of community members, as well as deputies. The capabilities of the Rook enable increased safety for incidents involving barricaded and armed subjects serving as a platform for entry into structures, removal of obstructions, and an armored platform which can raise to second story structures without compromising safety. The Rook was utilized during this incident to dismantle portions of the residence, while providing protection to deputies as they attempted to arrest a violent suspect who was barricaded within the residence and actively shooting at deputies. During this investigation it was discovered the suspect was armed with an assault rifle loaded with suspected armor piercing ammunition. 

During this incident, the Bakersfield Police Department (BPD) SWAT Team agreed to assist the Sheriff’s Office. This request was made by the Sheriff’s Office due to the prolonged extent of the critical incident. The suspect was able to flee the residence and was pursued by BPD officers and Sheriff’s Office deputies to the 1600 block of Bedford Way. Deputies and officers surrounded the suspect and were subsequently able to take him into custody without further incident. 

Pursuant to Penal Code § 834d, if a person has knowledge, or by the exercise of reasonable care, should have knowledge, that they are being arrested by a peace officer, it is their duty to refrain from using force or any weapon to resist such arrest. Unfortunately, the suspect in this case chose to resist a lawful arrest using violence and his refusal to submit to that arrest by barricading inside a residence caused the ensuing damage to the home, as deputies lawfully executed their duties to safely take him into custody. 

This standoff lasted for over 12 hours requiring a significant expenditure on resources to bring a violent situation under control with no loss of life. We would like to thank the community members impacted by this incident for their patience, as well as the deputies involved for their perseverance over a prolonged period of time and under extremely dangerous circumstances. In cases such as these the preservation of life will always take precedence over the preservation of property.

Pictured above: 1.) Damaged house, 2.) Clip and bullets from an assault rifle, 3.) Assault rifle in the rafters.

Source & photos: Kern County Sheriff’s Office