Suspect tried to rob a sheriff’s deputy. He’s in Fresno jail now

After a bizarre incident involving a BB gun that looked like a Beretta handgun, Fresno County sheriff’s deputies arrested David King, 56, of Squaw Valley on a felony charge of attempted robbery.

The victim was a sheriff’s deputy who was out of uniform but knew what to do when King started to pull a gun out his pocket, according to information from the sheriff’s office.

About 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, the deputy, who works in the courthouse in downtown Fresno, was walking to his office. His name was not made public.

King confronted the deputy in the area of Fresno and P streets and said all of his property had been stolen and that he needed money. He reached into his jacket and told the deputy to give him all of his money, the sheriff’s office said.

At that point, the deputy saw King begin to pull a gun out of his jacket. The deputy quickly grabbed King’s hand and maintained control of the gun.

A second deputy, also off-duty and walking to work in the courthouse, saw what was happening, rushed over and helped detain King. The crime happened in the city limits so Fresno police were called.

It turned out King’s weapon was not a handgun, but it was a BB gun that looked very similar to a Beretta handgun, the sheriff’s office said.

King is in jail on $12,500 bail. Anyone with information about him is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 559-600-3111.