Hours-long San Jacinto standoff leads to wanted fugitive’s arrest

SAN JACINTO, Calif., — Authorities say a wanted felon with outstanding warrants in multiple states fled from deputies during a warrant-related traffic stop, leading to an hours-long standoff after he was seen running into a vacant San Jacinto residence yesterday, Monday, Nov. 1.

Although the standoff did not result in the wanted man’s immediate apprehension, after he was not found inside the abandoned home, was later arrested during another traffic stop.

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At around 10 a.m., deputies responded to the area of Conrad Place and Hemmingway Place to search for 34-year-old Mark Anthony McKay, Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Anthony Pelato has since reported. Deputies were searching for McKay for violating the terms of his parole as well as for outstanding felony warrants out of Arkansas and Texas. 

Although Mark McKay, who was wanted in California, Arkansas and Texas, managed to initially elude deputies, they later apprehended him without incident during a San Jacinto traffic stop. RSO booking photo

While searching the area, deputies spotted McKay driving a white 2012 Ford Fusion with Arkansas tags.

Although deputies initially lost sight of McKay after he fled from them, they soon located him again in the area of 7th Street and Santa Fe Avenue.

Deputies attempted to stop McKay, at which time he fled into a residential neighborhood in the 480 block of Jonnie Way, where he abandoned his car in the driveway of a vacant house.

Deputies quickly surrounded the home and established a perimeter around the neighborhood, They also requested additional resources to the scene, including members of the Sheriff’s Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team, Crisis Negotiators and a Sheriff’s helicopter. Due to the nature of the warrants against him, they then began evacuating nearby residences, while also calling for a shelter-in-place for other residents within the immediate vicinity. 

A social media post at the time reported, “Critical incident in progress”.

“Deputies are working an incident in the area of Santa Fe and Jonnie in the City of San Jacinto,” the post continued; while asking nearby residents to stay out of the area.

Over the next several hours, officials attempted to coax the wanted man from the home before entering the residence and discovering that he had already fled the location. The all-clear was given by sheriff’s officials on social media around 2 p.m.

Early the next morning, deputies conducted a traffic enforcement stop of a vehicle in the area of Lake Park Drive and Ramona Expressway, at which time McKay was contacted and immediately identified himself as a wanted felon, according to Pelato.

“Mark Anthony McKay was arrested for his felony warrants and will be booked into a Riverside County Jail,” the Sergeant said.

As of this article, McKay had not yet been booked into jail and no further information was available.



Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.