MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A man was arrested after trying to flee from deputies during a search warrant, Madera County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) officials announced Tuesday.

According to authorities on Feb. 6 at around 12:00 p.m., the Madera County Regional SWAT team served a search warrant and arrest warrant in the area of Road 415 and Ridgecrest Road in Coarsegold.

When SWAT arrived, they made contact with Joshua Ealand. He attempted to drive away from the scene but was prevented by Sheriff’s Office vehicles, officials say.

Deputies say Ealand refused to comply with orders to exit the vehicle and threatened that he was armed with a gun. Ealand was persuaded to disarm himself and exit the vehicle he was barricaded in. SWAT team members took Ealand into custody without incident.

Deputies seized the discarded weapon and identified it as a modified air rifle.

Ealand was transported to the Madera County Jail and booked on a felony warrant stemming from an incident on April 25, 2022, that included charges of attempting to take a firearm from a police officer, resisting an executive officer, and vandalism – as well as misdemeanor charges for senior citizen abuse, among other charges.