Salinas man arrested for shooting following an argument

SALINAS—Officers with the Salinas Police Department arrested Michael Manfull, 39, of Salinas on Tuesday morning on suspicion of attempted Homicide.

The victims first encountered Manfull in the parking lot of this apartment complex

Officers responded to a report of shot fired near the intersection of Kennedy Street and Van Buren Avenue, which is located in an incorporated part of North Salinas.   A witness reported seeing a white pick-up truck and a red Ford Mustang leaving the area shortly after hearing the gunshots.

Officers were not able to find any evidence of a shooting, but at about 12:35 a.m., a Monterey County Sheriff’s Deputy conducted a vehicle check on a white pick-up truck that was parked in the middle of Harrison road without any lights on. Harrison road is in the unincorporated part of Salinas adjacent to Highway 101 near Prunedale.

Michael Manfull

The two occupants, a 22-year-old male and a 20-year-old female, both of Salinas, informed the Deputy that they had just been victim of a shooting that happened on Van Buren Avenue.  The two victims told authorities that they were visiting with some friends in the parking lot of the Pointe of Harden Ranch Apartments when they were approached by a white male adult, who was later identified as Manfull.

Salinas Police ascertained that Manfull, while talking to the victims, claimed to be a war veteran and then pulled out a knife making the two victims very uncomfortable.  The two left to another part of the complex but he followed them and a verbal argument ensued.

The shooting occurred near the corner of Kennedy and Van Buren, after the victims had tried to evade Manfull

The two then left the apartment complex, which is located on North Main Street in Salinas, in a white pick-up truck with other occupants inside.  They drove around North Salinas to get away from Manfull.  They decided to drop off some of their occupants on the corner of Kennedy Street.

When they were leaving the area they noticed a red Ford Mustang driving up to them when they recognized the driver as being Manfull.  He got out of the vehicle with a handgun and fired at the vehicle, striking it once on the front bumper.

“The two victims did not a have a prior relationship with Manfull before this incident.” Salinas Police Investigations Sergeant Christopher Lane said, “They were just visiting with friends in the parking lot when this occurred.”

While Officers were interviewing the two victims, Manfull himself called 911 and reported that two subjects were trying to break down his front door, and that he had a gun, and that he may have fired at them while they fled in a white Ford pick-up.

Based upon the evidence that the Officers accrued, and what Manfull stated to the 911 operator, authorities believed that Manful made up the story.  They surrounded his residence and took him into custody without incident.

Detectives were authorized to search of his residence and retrieved three handguns, eight rifles/shotguns and dozens of rounds of ammunition.

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