On Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, at approximately 8:45 pm, the Turlock Police Department received a be on the lookout authority Stanislaus County for a white sedan that was involved in a shooting that had occurred just outside of the city limits at Berkeley Rd and Alderson Rd.
Less than an hour later, at 9:20 pm, a Stanislaus County Sheriff’s deputy located a vehicle matching the description on Seasons Park Dr. The deputy attempted to make a traffic stop but the vehicle sped off and one of the passengers fired a round at the sheriff’s deputy. An 11-99 was called. An 11-99 means an officer is in need of immediate assistance and yields a response from law enforcement throughout the county. The deputy was not struck and did not return fire. After a brief pursuit, the vehicle stopped on Spring Crest Dr, where three occupants fled from the vehicle on foot. Turlock Police officers were in the area and arrived on scene within seconds.
When other officers arrived, a search for the suspects ensued, which lasted for over six hours. The search yielded two of the three occupants being located as well as three firearms being recovered. The search involved units from the California Highway Patrol, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, Modesto Police Department, Turlock Police Department, Ceres Police Department, and Stanislaus State Police Department.
The following day, at approximately 3:20 pm, the Sheriff’s Office Special Investigations Unit located the third suspect in the area of Mitchell Ave and E Hawkeye Ave. He was taken into custody without further incident. He has been identified as Ernesto Covarrubias Jr., 18, of Turlock. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center after being questioned on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault on a peace officer, and being in the possession of a firearm under 21.
The identity of the two other suspects is currently not being released. The investigation remains on-going. Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact Detective Timothy Redd at 209-664-7325 or by email at TRedd@turlock.ca.us. You can also leave an anonymous tip at the Turlock Police Department’s tip line at 209-668-5550 extension 6780 or by email at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us.
