Press Release

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Dutcher Middle School Student Threatened

On Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at approximately 8:00 a.m., Turlock Police Department received a report of an incident that occurred between a juvenile student and an unknown male subject near Dutcher Middle School. While walking to school, the juvenile was approached by an unknown male, who brandished a knife, made threatening comments and ethnic slurs to the student. The suspect was described as a dark skinned male, wearing a black hat, on a mountain bike with a white basket/bag tied to the bike. The subject briefly followed the juvenile, but the juvenile was able to safely make it to school and reported the incident to school administrators, who then called the police department.

After receiving this information, officers saturated the area looking for the suspect but were unable to locate anyone matching the suspect description. Before school let out, detectives and marked patrol units were also sent to the area to provide surveillance and high visibility to ensure the safety of all the students departing campus for the day. This incident is actively being investigated as a hate crime.

Chief Amirfar commented, “The Turlock Police Department has zero tolerance for all criminal activity. This being a hate crime and against a child is unacceptable and we will utilize all resources available to ensure the safety of our community and our children.”

Anyone with any information about the identity of the suspect is encouraged to call Officer Marco Diaz at (209) 668-1200. You can also contact the Turlock Police Department’s Tip Line at (209) 668-5550 extension 6780 or email at tpdtipline@turlock.ca.us, you can remain anonymous.

The Turlock Police Department is an active participant in the Crime Stoppers Program. Callers can leave an anonymous tip by calling Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636 and may be eligible for a cash reward.

To receive more detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Turlock Police Department via e-mail, register for "Nixle" alerts at www.Nixle.com or more directly at

https://local.nixle.com/register/. Or, text your zip code to 888777 to receive text alerts for emergency alerts only.

For additional information, follow our social media pages on Facebook and Twitter.


Download PDF version of this press release

Back to Press Releases