Kings County deputies arrest two suspects, one for resisting arrest

The reporting party stated the subject, later identified as Richard Martinez, 31, was running in the middle of the road without a shirt on, and deputies also suspected that he may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Upon arrival, deputies located the abandoned car without its lights off in the westbound lane of Jersey Avenue. Deputies began the search for Martinez and found him in the nearby area. As authorities approached the suspect, he attempted to flag down passing cars. Deputies stated that Martinez refused to stop and come to the deputies, but he refused. Martinez got a passing car to stop and attempted to open the doors, but they were locked. The driver appeared to be frightened and drove away.  

A red Chevrolet pickup approached Martinez, and he got inside the truck. By this time, deputies had made their way to Martinez and grabbed him by the arm in an attempt to pull him from the truck. The suspect, Martinez, according to deputies,  held on to various parts of the inside of the truck, making it difficult to extract him from the vehicle.

To make matters worse, one of the passengers inside the truck, later identified as Shelly Wesley, held on to Martinez, who was sweating profusely by that time, which made holding onto him more difficult. 

Deputies say that they attempted to remove Martinez from the truck for several minutes but were unsuccessful.

A K-9 deputy and his partner “Willie” arrived on the scene. Deputies warned the suspect that if he failed to comply, he would be bitten by the K-9. The suspect ignored the warning and continued to resist. At one point, Martinez grabbed a deputy’s tactical vest and attempted to pull it off. The K-9 was then deployed, pulling Martinez from the truck onto the ground.

A deputy placed handcuffs on the suspect’s wrist, but Martinez broke his arm free and began to swing his arm with the cuff at deputies. As the struggle continued, deputies finally gained control of Washington’s arms and secured him in handcuffs.

Deputies transported the suspect to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries. Deputies also completed a records check and discovered Martinez had three warrants issued for his arrest. The first warrant was a no bail warrant out of Fresno County, the second was a Tulare County warrant with a $75,000 bail, and lastly, a Kings County warrant with a bail of $500,000.  

Once cleared by the hospital, deputies booked Martinez into the Kings County Jail. In addition to the warrants, other charges include resisting an executive officer and resisting arrest with two prior strikes. His bail on the fresh charges was set at $70,000.

Deputies also arrested suspect Shelly Wesley on suspicion of interfering with an arrest. During a search, a dirk/dagger was located concealed in her hair. A records check found that she had two warrants issued for her arrest out of Tulare County and Madera County. The total bail was $100,000.

Wesley was booked into the Kings County Jail on her warrants and the fresh charges of carrying a dirk or dagger, rescuing a prisoner, and resisting, obstructing, or delaying a peace officer.