Kern County Authorities Reportedly Dismantle Building to Arrest Barricaded Suspect
BAKERSFIELD, CA — Kern County authorities recently arrested a wanted suspect who had barricaded himself inside a building, ultimately requiring them to dismantle parts of the building to get to him.
According to a press release by the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, investigators attempted to locate an individual wanted on a felony warrant on the night of Monday, May 5.
The individual, identified as 37-year-old Keith Julifs, was wanted on suspicion of illegal possession of a firearm and felony evading, authorities said.
Authorities reportedly located Julifs inside a residence on the 100 block of Ray Street and learned he was armed with an assault rifle loaded with possible armor-piercing ammunition. As a precaution, the sheriff’s office SWAT team was called to the scene.
As SWAT team members approached the residence to arrest Julifs, he allegedly fired multiple rounds at them. Julifs reportedly refused to surrender and continued to fire sporadically over the course of several hours.
Eventually, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office deployed its Rook armored critical incident vehicle, which was acquired in 2022. The vehicle was used to dismantle parts of the residence while providing protection to deputies during the incident.
The Bakersfield Police Department SWAT team responded to assist due to the prolonged nature of the incident.
Julifs eventually fled the residence and was pursued to the 1600 block of Bedford Way. He was surrounded by deputies and officers and taken into custody without further incident, the sheriff’s office said.
Julifs was booked into the Lerdo Detentions Facility on his active felony warrants, along with new charges of attempted murder, felony resisting arrest, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
