Hanford man ID’d as suspect fatally shot by Visalia police after bank robbery
Visalia police fatally shot a man who allegedly robbed a bank then pointed a gun at officers twice Wednesday, Chief Jason Salazar said.
The suspect was identified Thursday by the Visalia Police Department as Joshua Van Machado, 43, of Hanford.
Officers responded around 11:35 Wednesday to a robbery at Tri Counties Bank at 509 S. Pinkham St. in Visalia. Bank tellers told officers that a man came into the branch and said he had a gun, then took money and fled in a gray Chevrolet truck, Chief Jason Salazar said Wednesday.
Witnesses told officers the suspect had a vehicle with its tailgate down, covering the license plate.
As police were responding to the robbery, an officer traveling on Sante Fe and Walnut saw a vehicle matching the description and pulled behind it. Three officers initiated the traffic stop and gave commands, Salazar said.
The supsect got out of the vehicle and turned and faced the officers, Salazar said, at which time officers saw a black gun in his possession. Salazar said Machado moved the gun towards the officers’ direction and several rounds were fired by the officers.
Machado was struck and fell to the ground besides his truck.
But he still had the gun in his possession, Salazar said. Officers gave him multiple commands to let go of the gun.
Additional officers arrived, including a hostage negotiator. Officers continued to give the man more commands.
“At one point, the suspect picked up the gun again and pulled it up towards the air and additional shots were fired by the officers,” Salazar said. “The suspect continued to hold onto the gun and he was still moving at that point. They continued to give him commands to drop the firearm, but he would not let go of it. At some point, he moved the firearm towards the officers, at which time additional shots were fired.”
Machado was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing.
The six officers involved in the shooting each have between 16 and 28 years of police service, Salazar said.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 5:43 PM.
