Merced Sun-Star
MERCED, Calif. — A Mariposa County sheriff’s deputy was shot during an early-morning gunfight with a Merced man following vehicle chase, Mariposa deputies reported.
The deputy, whose name was not released, was shot once in the face and once in the torso. The deputy was flown to a north valley hospital for treatment. An update on the deputy’s condition was not immediately available.
The suspect was identified as Brian Ballasch of the Merced area, the Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
Ballasch was also shot at least once by deputies. He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer.
The incident was reported around 6 a.m. after a deputy tried to stop a vehicle driving erratically on Highway 49, just south of Mariposa. Deputies said Ballasch eventually crashed his vehicle into a deputy’s car. Ballasch then got out of his vehicle, and opened fire, possibly with a .45-caliber pistol, after a brief verbal exchange, according to deputies.
Kristie Mitchell, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department, said the pistol has been seized as evidence.
Mitchell said investigators believe Ballasch is “about 35 years old.”
Authorities said it was too early to comment on the number of shots that were fired or the number of deputies who may have opened fire.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2015 the Merced Sun-Star