KELSEYVILLE >> The day after has left the community asking what incited a Kelseyville man to fire a weapon in the direction of law enforcement officials.
Joshua Caleb Brown was arrested on Monday shortly after 5 p.m., following a spree lasting almost seven hours during which he allegedly shot at California Highway Patrol Officers, Caltrans employees and other officers involved in the subsequent search. Though exact motives are not yet known, an investigation is currently being conducted to learn more about the suspect, according to CHP Officer Kory Reynolds.
During a press conference that took place moments before Brown was taken into custody, Lake County Sheriff Brian Martin and CHP Lt. Hector Paredes informed the media that the gunman started yelling from the west side of the road at a Caltrans crew of about eight, along with two CHP officers. This occurred around 10:40 a.m., as the Caltrans crew prepared to remove concrete apparently placed by Brown.
After shouting, Brown reportedly shot twice toward the crew and officers.
Investigators say Brown placed about a yard worth of concrete and debris in front of his property’s driveway, blocking a gate — one some say is used by a neighbor. He then used a tractor to carve another driveway that accessed Highway 29.
On Monday morning, Caltrans was scheduled to “erect some concrete barriers on one side of the road” and remove the illegal driveway from use. Martin believes the yelling and shooting stem from “Caltrans trying to rectify that situation — the unpermitted access to State Highway 29.”
Brown has had previous encounters with law enforcement, according to Martin. The Sheriff’s Office has taken a handful of reports of him allegedly making threats toward family members and others. Family members have placed the calls to law enforcement.
Martin added that there was a court dispute in May regarding property issues where Brown did not prevail. These reports have all been sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“This is a small community and officers know him since childhood,” said Martin. “We have had a number of criminal cases that we sent to the DEA office but have never had something of this sort.”
A search warrant was granted late Monday afternoon to enter the property where Brown was believed to be hiding. Martin said in a statement that officers had to be prepared and plan for the possibility of Brown barricading himself underground. That is because after speaking with people who had done work on the property, officials learned there was a definite possibility that Brown had “dug out some underground storage bunkers.”
Throughout the day, locals took to social media to share their thoughts on the standoff. One of the rumors that surfaced across several Facebook pages and Twitter accounts was that Brown is a “white supremacist” or is “anti-law enforcement.”
In response, Martin said, “We don’t believe that today’s actions are a result of any sort of ‘white supremacist’ ideologies.”
After Brown was taken into custody and law enforcement was able to clear the perimeters, Highway 29 closures were lifted an hour thereafter.
A report by CHP Tuesday morning said the Lake County District Attorney’s Office is currently conducting a criminal investigation on the case.
No shots were fired by any law enforcement officer.
“We are very glad this ended without incident and a big thank you to the Kelseyville community for their support and understanding during this long day,” said CHP officer Kory Reynolds in an email.
