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Armed Man Shot To Death During Raid On Marijuana Farm Near Saratoga


July 10, 2008/ San Francisco Chronicle/ Steve Rubenstein



(07-10) 14:42 PDT SARATOGA -- One armed man was shot and killed and two others escaped on foot into the brush during a raid early today on a marijuana patch in the hills south of Saratoga, a Santa Clara County sheriff's lieutenant said.

The shooting happened when five deputies and 15 other officers confronted the men at the patch around 7:30 a.m., Lt. Ed Wise said.

It was not immediately known if the men fired at officers or how many shots were fired, or by whom, Wise said.

"The deputies started to enter a large marijuana garden and encountered three subjects armed with guns," Wise said.

"During the encounter, shots were fired. One subject was shot and fatally wounded and two others fled on foot."

About 80 deputies, including SWAT team officers, were dispatched to look for the suspects.

The men were still at large seven hours later.

Two helicopters were searching overhead.

The shooting took place near the intersection of Bohlman Road and Canon Drive, Wise said.

"There are still officers stuck on the hillside," Wise said.

"It's incredibly steep."

Deputies were being assisted by SWAT team officers from the San Jose, Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto police departments and the San Mateo County sheriff's office.

Local residents were urged to be careful while the suspects, described as armed and dangerous, remain at large.

Police had only a vague description of them as Latinos in their early 20s.
The dead man was not immediately identified.

The raid was organized by the sheriff's marijuana eradication team, along with narcotics officers from the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting.

That outfit, run by the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, is a task force of local, state and federal agencies that focuses on eradicating marijuana growing and trafficking in California.

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