California police arrest suspected serial killer while ‘hunting’

() — California authorities arrested a man Saturday in connection with a series of murders which claimed the lives of six people.

The suspect, Wesley Brownlee, 43, was being followed by a police surveillance team that determined around 2 a.m. Saturday that he was “hunting” and “on a mission to kill,” Stockton police chief said. Stanley McFadden at a press conference.

“Their patterns were consistent with some of the patterns we’ve seen,” McFadden said. “(He was) around parks, around dark places, stopping, looking around, moving again. And at the time, we thought for the safety of the public, it was best to stop this person.”

Brownlee was wearing dark clothing, had a mask around his neck and had a firearm when he was stopped, the police chief said.

Wesley Brownlee, 43, was taken into custody by police in Stockton, California.

“We are sure we stopped another killing spree,” the police chief said.

The suspect has a criminal record, McFadden said, but added that he wasn’t sure the extent of what record or with which agencies.

The police chief did not reveal a motive for the killings.

Stockton police previously reported that they believed five homicides in the city between July 8 and September 27 were related. The five victims were alone and were shot at night or early in the morning, authorities said. Four of the victims were Hispanic men between the ages of 21 and 54 and the fifth was a 35-year-old white man.

And two predawn 2021 shootings were also linked to the series of attacks, police said earlier this month: an April 10, 2021, fatal shooting of a 40-year-old Hispanic man in Oakland and a shooting on April 16. April 2021 in Stockton of a 46-year-old black woman who survived.

The authorities toannounced last week that the reward for information leading to an arrest was raised to $115,000. Community councils helped police catch the suspect, authorities said at Saturday’s news conference.

“To the community, thank you for everything you have done. Thank you for stepping up, thank you for making your voice known, thank you for submitting the hundreds of tips that have come in daily,” said Stockton Mayor Kevin J. Lincoln.

Police shared this image on Facebook after announcing the suspect’s arrest.

“This could not have been done, and today would not have been possible without you,” added the mayor.

San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar said assistant district attorneys are currently reviewing the evidence “as we speak” and working to determine what charges to bring.

Brownlee was being held in the county jail without bond, according to jail records from the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect will be processed Tuesday afternoon, Salazar said. There will be another news conference later, where officials will announce the charges, the district attorney added.