On Saturday night, September 26, 2026, at approximately 10:03 PM, King City Police responded to a disturbance at a party where 22-year-old Luis Rodriguez of Soledad, allegedly brandished a firearm and threatened another person before leaving the area.
King City Police developed information that Rodriguez may be traveling to another gathering at a location on the 500 block of Bitterwater Road and requested assistance from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office in an attempt to locate him.
An MCSO deputy responded and saw Rodriguez, who immediately fled on foot through a crowd of people while carrying a firearm. During the foot pursuit, Rodriguez threw the firearm to the ground and continued running. The deputy utilized his department TASER in an effort to help apprehend Rodriguez. Rodriguez continued to flee and was eventually located hiding underneath a vehicle and taken into custody without further incident.
During the pursuit, a woman associated with Rodriguez allegedly interfered with the deputy by stepping in his path, causing the deputy to temporarily lose sight of Rodriguez.
Deputies recovered the firearm, which contained a fully loaded 15-round magazine with an additional round in the chamber. Another fully loaded large-capacity magazine was located inside Rodriguez’s vehicle. Deputies also located a controlled substance in Rodriguez’s possession.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation involving an armed individual running through a crowded gathering with a loaded firearm,” said Monterey County Sheriff Tina M. Nieto. “Our deputy showed tremendous courage and persistence in bringing this situation under control. His actions removed a loaded firearm from a crowded environment and may have prevented a tragedy.”
Rodriguez was medically evaluated and booked into the Monterey County Jail for alleged violations including possession of a loaded firearm, probation violation, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, firearm-related offenses, destruction or concealment of evidence, and possession of a controlled substance while armed. Bail was set at $120,000.
The Sheriff’s Office will also request a violation of PC 148(a)(1), resisting, delaying or obstructing a peace officer, against the female associate of Rodriguez for her alleged interference during the pursuit.
The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information or video of this incident is asked to contact the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office at 831-755-3700. As always, you may choose to remain anonymous.
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