“By the grace of God we didn't lose a deputy tonight,” said Erica Stuart of the Madera Co. Sheriff’s Dept.
Erica Stuart says around 3 p.m. Friday a veteran deputy stopped at a home after spotting a truck which belonged to George Rosenberg. The 41-year old was wanted on a no bail felony warrant for drugs.
“He wanted to contact Rosenberg and the guy just put it in gear and tried to run the deputy over. The deputy shot at the vehicle and the vehicle continued to take off,” said Stuart.
As a safety precaution, nearby Coarsegold Elementary School was locked down until nearly two dozen patrol units moved in to saturate the mountainous area of Road 415.
They searched property by property and after two and a half hours deputies discovered Rosenberg’s truck hidden in a barn off Wells Rd. near Rocky Ridge Rd. However, Rosenberg was nowhere to be found.
“Hiding in a corner outside of the barn was the suspect with a rifle. It appeared he was lying in wait to ambush the deputies knowing full well after a while they would find him,” said Stuart.
Investigators say he bled out from a bullet wound the deputy gave him while shooting through the windshield of his truck.
Stuart says Rosenberg lived in Mariposa, but knew the back roads of Madera County very well.
“He knew where to hide and he knew we'd eventually find him. His hope was he'd kill us, but it just didn't happen this time,” said Stuart.
The deputy involved in this shooting will not be placed on administrative leave. The Madera county sheriff department's policy gives him the option to return to work tomorrow or take a couple of personal days off if he needs it.
