By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Suspects in Craigslist shoe deal shooting identified
Placeholder Image

The two suspects responsible for a shooting in Turlock following a Craigslist initiated transaction of shoes have been identified and are facing a litany of criminal charges.

Arrested for the shooting and theft were Andrew Dior Mark, 20, and Willie Paul Williams III, 22. They were booked into Stanislaus County Jail on Thursday on charges of auto theft, assault with a firearm, shooting at an occupied dwelling, vehicle, etc., grand theft, fraud, and fleeing a peace officer, according to jail records.

The two men are each being held in custody in lieu of a $200,000 bail for each.

Mark and Williams are suspected of buying a pair of tennis shoes with counterfeit money and once the forgery was discovered, shooting at the seller as they attempted to make a get-away. Their attempt also included a high speed chase on the freeway and alleged theft of their friend’s vehicle.

The shoes were being sold through Craigslist. The seller agreed to meet Marks and Williams in the parking lot of the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center around 2 p.m. Thursday. The seller also brought along a friend.

The money was exchanged, but later the seller would tell police the cash didn’t appear quite right. After checking it at a nearby business, the seller discovered he had been giving counterfeit bills, said Turlock Police spokesperson Officer Mayra Lewis.

The seller and his friend were able to track down the two men at a nearby Starbucks, but when they approached them, the two men took off in a vehicle, Lewis said. The seller and his friend followed them in a vehicle and contacted the police department to report the fraud.

Around the same time the police department received a call from a woman reporting her car had just been stolen from the Monte Vista Crossings shopping center. The woman told officers that two men she knew had taken her car and abandoned her at the In and Out parking lot.

Within minutes the seller was calling the police again to report the two suspects had fired a gun at them as they followed them. The description of the vehicle matched that of the one reported stolen from In and Out.

The shooting occurred on Golden State Boulevard and the seller and his friend continued to follow the two suspects to the freeway. They lost sight of them around Shanks Road in Delhi, but marked and unmarked police cars had joined in the search by that time and the suspects were spotted getting back onto Highway 99 and heading north.

The suspects refused to stop for officers and a high speed chase on the highway ensued.

It came to an end when the vehicle finally stopped and the two men were taken into custody at gunpoint.