Fresno murder suspect arrested in Las Vegas

A Fresno man sought in connection with a homicide in east-central Fresno was arrested last week in Las Vegas, police report. The arrest follows a Sunnyvale officer-involved shooting in August that police there also say was related to Shawn Lamont Brown, 19.

Brown was booked into Fresno County Jail on Monday. He and another Fresno man, Lachance Larue Thomas, 19, were arrested July 28, moments after Randell Correia, 29, was gunned down near Shields and Maple avenues in what police said was a drug-related killing.

Police said an officer who heard the gunfire saw a car speeding from the shooting scene and stopped a car carrying Brown and Thomas near Highway 168 and Shields Avenue. Police recovered a handgun that officers said was tossed from the vehicle.

Brown and Thomas were booked into Fresno County Jail the next day on murder charges, but jail authorities were required to release them when legal evidence needed in the case could not be processed before a jail hold expired.

Brown’s name came up again when a Sunnyvale police officer killed an armed man at a Motel 6 on Aug. 15. Police in the Bay Area city said the deadly incident took place after officers were investigating suspicious activity, possibly involving prostitution and a minor, when they approached three men in a Jaguar. Two of the suspects ran.

A police spokesman said one of the men, identified as Allen Matthew Baker, III, 23, of San Diego, dropped a high-capacity magazine as he fled into shrubbery at a commercial complex. An officer pursued Baker and saw him holding a handgun. When Baker ignored repeated commands to drop the weapon, police said the officer fired nine times, killing him. Baker was sought on a robbery warrant at the time of his death.

The other suspect, whom policed believed to be Brown, eluded officers despite a six-hour search. Police said the suspect in the Jaguar who did not flee officers was Raymond Deshawn Hackett Jr., 24, of Fresno. He was arrested on a domestic violence warrant from San Diego. Police also detained two females, one of whom admitted to being involved with prostitution. All five were associated, a Sunnyvale police spokesman said.

Las Vegas Metro police did not provide details about Brown’s apprehension, except to say it took place after an operation by a fugitive task force.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Fresno murder suspect arrested in Las Vegas."