Attempted Pot Robbery Turns Deadly In Amador County

IONE (CBS13) -- An elaborate plan to impersonate police led to a shootout at an Amador County marijuana growing operation, leaving one man dead and several others under arrest, authorities said. Now concerned residents are patrolling their properties armed with guns.

"Fight fire with fire," said a female neighbor who was wearing a robe and carrying a semi-automatic pistol.

After the firefight, neighbors, who don't want to be identified, are not taking any chance.

"They've got guns, so I needed one to feel safe myself," said said the woman.

Residents called 911 shortly after 9:00 p.m. Tuesday after hearing more than a dozen gunshots near Carbondale Road, with one witnesses reporting seeing a white, full-sized extended cab pickup truck and dark SUV leaving the scene of the shooting.

"There was a first pop-pop, then there was a rapid succession of at least a dozen shots," said a neighbor.

Two Amador County Sheriff's Deputies arrived minutes later and spotted the two vehicles, which immediately accelerated and attempted to evade law enforcement. The white pickup truck sped out of sight on Michigan Ione Bar Road but the deputies overtook and pulled over a green Ford Expedition.

Five Asian male subjects, all of whom are known to be gang members from the Sacramento area, were detained at the scene, authorities said. Investigators found a bullet-resistant vest, a SWAT vest, red and blue dash-mounted law enforcement lights, flex cuffs and other assorted equipment inside the vehicle, but no weapons were immediately found.

At least two other subjects were believed to have escaped in the white truck and have not been located.

Deputies found a man dead inside a trailer at the scene of the shootout, grasping an empty shotgun, and found evidence that the man had traded gunfire with suspects. The dead man was identified as 45-year-old He Ting Fu.

Nearly 800 marijuana plants and eight pounds of processed marijuana were found on the property, but investigators were only able to find medicinal recommendations for 198 of the plants.

A search of the roadways near the incident led to the discovery of marijuana, flex cuffs, and two semi-automatic pistols that match the caliber of some of the ammunition used in the shootout.

The detained suspects, all between the ages of 18 and 23, are not being identified pending fingerprint identification.