Angel Alan Gleason — a 36-year-old Modesto man — has been identified as the car theft suspect that died in an exchange of gunfire with police in Ripon on Tuesday.

San Joaquin County Deputy Les Garcia said Gleason was reportedly shot by Manteca and Stockton officers after he fled down an embankment at the Jack Tone Road off ramp from southbound Highway 99 in a vain attempt to escape capture.

One Manteca resident said she witnessed the unmarked cars with their emergency lights flashing following the silver BMW near Cottage Avenue and North Street shortly before 3 p.m. when the detectives from the county auto-theft task force called for marked Manteca Police units to back them up in making a felony traffic stop.

Police said the BMW had license plates registered to another make of vehicle when they ran its history. 

It was then that police say a pursuit was initiated on Austin Road and Highway 99 with the auto theft suspect heading south toward Jack Tone Road where he exited onto the southbound Jack Tone off ramp.  He subsequently sideswiped several vehicles on the ramp and crashed into a Jeep Wrangler that flipped over onto its roof over the side of the ramp.

A woman driver and a four-year-old girl were in the vehicle.  They were said to have received only minor injuries and were transported by ambulance to an area hospital.

As the man scrambled away from the officers armed with a handgun, there was reportedly an exchange of gunfire with the police running down the embankment behind him and from a detective on the bridge in front of him.

Gleason was transported to a Modesto trauma unit and was pronounced deceased at 3:39 p.m., according to police. 

To contact Glenn Kahl, email gkahl@mantecabulletin.com.