San Joaquin County Man Arrested on Various Charges after Extensive Manhunt
Above: Terran Whitaker
(Courtesy of San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office)
A San Joaquin County man has reportedly been arrested on a variety of charges in connection with several alleged incidents, which sparked an extensive manhunt.
According to a press release by the county Sheriff’s Office, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 19, law enforcement agencies responded to multiple calls reporting a male subject engaged in alarming behavior near Nord Road in San Joaquin County. According to witnesses, the individual, later identified as Terran Whitaker, was seen wearing shorts, no shirt, and suspenders, and was carrying a machete while pointing what appeared to be an AR-15 at passing residents traveling south.
Upon receiving these reports, several deputies and California Highway Patrol officers immediately initiated a search to apprehend the suspect. The Stockton Police Department’s Falcon 10 helicopter also provided assistance during the search, which covered the orchard area south of Highway 26 and west of Beecher Road. At the time, however, police were unable to locate the suspect in the area.
At around 5:15 AM, authorities received a new call indicating the same suspect had been seen allegedly battering a vehicle with a baseball bat. Additional calls came in reporting that the suspect had then been spotted at Glenwood School, carrying a sword. Authorities say that no faculty or students had been at the school at the time.
Later on, deputies successfully located the suspect at his home address, where he was allegedly behaving erratically and causing a disturbance. The suspect, identified as Terran Whitaker, reportedly turned himself over to law enforcement without incident at this time. A victim from one of the earlier calls positively identified Whitaker as the same individual involved in the later incident.
During the investigation, law enforcement reportedly recovered a sword and a machete in connection to the incidents. Investigators are also actively searching for a suspected pellet gun that the suspect allegedly discarded into a nearby orchard.
Whitaker was later booked at the San Joaquin County jail on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance, probation violation, exhibiting a deadly weapon other than a firearm, threatening a crime with the intent to terrorize, vandalism, possession of a weapon on campus other than a firearm, and disorderly conduct.
It was unclear at press time whether Whitaker had retained an attorney.
