UPDATE (8:35 a.m.): A man was arrested for the attempted murder of a police officer, among other charges.
Steven Jimenez, 32, was arrested near the 1900 block of Union Avenue in East Bakersfield around 3:21 a.m. on Sun, Feb 6. According to the Bakersfield Police Office (BPD), members of the BPD's Violent Criminal Apprehension Team approached Jimenez after suspecting that he was the one involved in an officer-involved shooting the day before. As officers made contact, Jimenez made it known that he had a handgun, at which point one BPD officer began shooting at Jimenez. Jimenez was not hit by any of the bullets and proceeded to run from police. He was eventually arrested with the help of a K-9 detective.
Jimenez was arrested on a warrant for the attempted murder of a peace officer and associated charges. He was also arrested on a pre-existing warrant for an unrelated robbery and for violating his Post Release Community Supervision agreement as an AB 109 non-violent offender.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the BPD at (661) 327-7111.
Bakersfield Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly shot at officers in East Bakersfield Sunday morning.
The Bakersfield Police department says they received a ShotSpotter gunfire activation around 3:30 a.m. on February 5th near Butte Street and Kern Street.
Shortly after, BPD says a two-officer patrol unit with a community member ride-along, arrived in the area in response to the activation.
They say officers attempted to contact a Hispanic man which they describe as, 6 feet tall, weighing approximately 190 pounds, wearing dark clothing.
Officers say he was walking in the 200 block of Baker street when they tried to contact him, but say he produced a black handgun and fired at the approaching officers and ride-along.
Then one officer returned fire and the suspect fled on foot. During the foot pursuit, the suspect fired at the officers additional times.
Officers lost sight of the suspect and established a perimeter. However, they say despite a comprehensive search of the area, the suspect was not relocated and his firearm was not recovered.
At the moment, BPD does not know if the suspect was hit by police gunfire. The involved officers had body-worn cameras and as the investigation progresses, BPD says the footage will be released to the public.
The police department noting no officer or other community members were injured.
Meanwhile, they have not found any victims of the original ShotSpotter activation that prompted the gunfire.
The response caused a heavy police presence, BPD advising the public to take alternate routes.
This is an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111.
