By admin 
In the darkness early Monday, tactical teams moved through the steep, heavily forested terrain of Placer County’s Sierra foothills toward an armed murder suspect accused of killing a woman, ramming a patrol car and firing on deputies during a sprawling manhunt that also kept firefighters from battling a nearby wildfire.
Read more Placer woman found shot dead amid manhunt for armed suspect in remote Iowa Hill
The manhunt in Iowa Hill for Derek Robert Spencer, 44, ended about 4 a.m. in the woods near Iowa Hill, where authorities said he opened fire on deputies after being tracked with infrared technology from the air. Deputies fired back, killing him and ending a nearly 18-hour ordeal that had locked down the remote community.
Before the final gunfight, authorities said, Spencer had spent hours hiding behind a berm as tactical teams closed in through the darkness. During the ensuing standoff, deputies watched by drone as he started two more blazes.
The deadly confrontation capped a sprawling law enforcement operation that began Sunday morning, included Spencer allegedly hitting a sheriff’s patrol vehicle head-on and firing at deputies and a sheriff’s helicopter, and kept residents of the remote Placer County community locked inside their homes.
It also stymied efforts to fight a wildfire that sparked earlier in the afternoon, believed to have been started by Spencer. Authorities later on said Spencer was seen on drone footage starting two fires during the standoff, and firefighters who had been forced to remain staged because of the danger began moving in after the law enforcement operation concluded.
Tactical teams, drone find murder suspect
The final phase of the manhunt began shortly before 2:30 a.m. Monday after a California Highway Patrol aircraft equipped with infrared technology located Spencer in a heavily forested area, according to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office.
The aerial detection allowed tactical teams to develop a plan to reach Spencer, deputies said, but getting to him was another matter.
“Several teams then made their way through steep, difficult terrain in the dark,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a 5 a.m. update. “The approach took several hours.”
By the time authorities reached Spencer’s location, authorities said, he fired several shots and a standoff began. That was when deputies said Spencer started two more fires. At about 4 a.m., Spencer fired again toward deputies from behind a berm where he had taken cover, authorities said.
Deputies returned fire on Spencer, killing him.
The Sheriff’s Office did not immediately say how many deputies fired, how many shots were exchanged or whether any law enforcement officers were injured.
Woman found shot to death during search
Spencer’s death came nearly 18 hours after the chain of events that brought a massive law enforcement response into Iowa Hill, a tiny community tucked into the rugged American River canyon country east of Colfax.
The incident began about 10:30 a.m. Sunday when authorities received a report that a man had pointed a gun at people and threatened them in the Iowa Hill area, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Elise Soviar said.
Deputies responded and soon spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle, Soviar said.
“That individual actually rammed our deputy’s patrol car, and it was a severe enough collision that the deputy wasn’t able to chase after the suspect in his vehicle,” Soviar said.
Authorities spotted him again from the air sometime around 2 or 3 p.m. Sunday, she said.
“The suspect was located from the air with our Falcon 30 helicopter, and the suspect actually started shooting at the helicopter,” Soviar said. “The suspect also shot at some of the deputies in the area.”
Later Sunday, tactical teams clearing a home where Spencer had broken into to hide discovered an adult woman who had been shot and killed.
“At this point in the investigation, it’s believed Spencer murdered the woman before fleeing into the surrounding forest,” the Sheriff’s Office said Sunday evening.
Read more Can I have beer, wine or booze in my CA car? Open container laws explained
Authorities have not publicly identified the woman, though she was believed to be a resident of the home. The Sheriff’s Office characterized the killing Monday as a “senseless and random act of violence.”
Rugged terrain complicated manhunt
Iowa Hill is a community of about 50 residents tucked away and off the grid. Although only about 5 miles from Colfax as the crow flies, the drive takes roughly half an hour along a narrow, winding road.
Residents were told Sunday to remain inside and lock their doors as tactical teams searched for Spencer. The road into Iowa Hill also was closed.
“Iowa Hill, that whole area, if you live in that area, stay inside, lock your doors, do not let anybody in,” Soviar said Sunday.
The search eventually drew personnel and equipment from numerous agencies across Northern California and Nevada, including sheriff’s offices in El Dorado, Nevada and Washoe counties and police departments in Roseville, Rocklin, Nevada City and Grass Valley.
“Teams will continue searching throughout the night and will not slow down as we work to locate this armed and very dangerous individual,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a 8 p.m. update.
Spencer arrested three times in September
The violent weekend followed a series of encounters between Spencer and law enforcement.
Spencer had been arrested three times earlier this month in Sacramento County and had been released from jail only days before the Iowa Hill manhunt, according to Sacramento County sheriff’s officials and booking records.
Sacramento County deputies first arrested Spencer on Sept. 3 on suspicion of felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and resisting arrest, sheriff’s Sgt. Ed Igoe said. He was arraigned and later released on $10,000 bond, according to Sacramento Superior Court records.
Folsom police subsequently arrested Spencer on suspicion of burglary. Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrested him again days later in connection with a stolen vehicle.
Authorities said Monday that Spencer then stole a vehicle and guns Saturday and fired at a moving vehicle in El Dorado County.
Firefighters move in after manhunt ends
The danger posed by the manhunt had prevented firefighters from attacking a vegetation fire burning near the Mineral Bar Campground on Sunday.
Cal Fire said it had eight engines, four water tenders, four hand crews and two bulldozers staged nearby but could not send crews into the fire while an armed suspect remained at large.
“Fire activity has moderated and is being monitored by remote sensing aircraft at a high elevation,” Cal Fire’s Nevada-Placer-Yuba unit said in a status update overnight.
After Spencer was killed, firefighters were allowed to move in to halt the blaze, which had grown to an estimated 3 to 5 acres by Monday morning, according to Cal Fire.
“Conditions on the ground are currently challenging,” Cal Fire said. “As daylight arrives, we will continue working the fire and will provide further updates as more information becomes available.”
Read more California is failing on homelessness. This Sacramento woman’s struggles show why | Opinion