Suspect dead and 2 deputies shot in California after dispute over marijuana

The deputies were airlifted from the scene for medical treatment.

ByABC News
August 1, 2017, 3:19 PM

— -- A man suspected of shooting two deputies in a remote location in California's Central Valley is dead, the Yuba County Sheriff’s Department has confirmed.

The deputies were following up on a call on Tuesday afternoon about an agitated man who was allegedly pulling marijuana plants from the ground in the garden of a rural Rastafarian church, police said. One of the deputies was shot multiple times, police said.

Two deputies arrived on the scene and chased the suspect on foot before losing sight of him, police said. A third deputy arrived and searched a home in which he believed the suspect to be hiding, which is where the shootings took place, police said.

The suspect was found dead inside of the home, police said. His name has not been released at this time.

The two deputies were airlifted from the scene for treatment, and are in serious condition, the sheriff's department said. One of the deputies has undergone surgery, and the other remains in surgery, the department added.

The names of the deputies will be released after they have been connected with their families, according to the sheriff's department.

The incident comes just a day after two police officers were shot in Los Banos, California, during a struggle with a man who was suspected of breaking into his estranged wife's apartment, according to a report in the Associated Press.

ABC News' Emile Richardson contributed to this report.