A suspect was taken into custody in Stockton, California, early Saturday morning in connection with a serial killing investigation, authorities said. The man was apprehended during a traffic stop.

Stockton Police Chief Stanley McFadden said Wesley Brownlee, a Stockton resident, was taken into custody at about 2 a.m. local time. He had been under surveillance.

Officers “determined early this morning, he was on a mission to kill,” McFadden said in a Saturday afternoon news briefing. “He was out hunting.”

He was armed with a gun, wearing dark clothing and had a “mask around his neck” when he was arrested, the police chief said.

“We are sure we stopped another killing,” McFadden added. 

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Brownlee was booked for homicide. A SWAT team later raided his apartment. 

Investigators had been searching for a suspect, who, according to police, was believed responsible in the fatal shootings of five men in Stockton, and a sixth man in Oakland, dating back to April 2021. The latest killing occurred in September. A woman was also believed to have been shot and wounded by the suspect.

McFadden said that Brownlee was identified as a suspect thanks to a tips from community members.  

San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar told reporters Brownlee will be arraigned Tuesday. The exact charges he faces have yet to be determined.    

This is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.