Update: Shootout Between Ranch Hand and Gunman Near Castro Valley

CASTRO VALLEY, CA — What started as a ranch hand catching a possible poacher quickly escalated into a shootout between the two men. No one was injured. The alleged poacher remains at large.

According to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office, the ranch hand came across the trespasser on a 300 acre ranch on Eden Canyon Road. They were about 150 feet apart, and the ranch hand yelled at the man to get off the property. At that point, the sheriff's officer reports, "The trespasser raised his rifle, pointed it at the ranch hand and opened fire. The ranch hand was also armed with a gun and quickly returned fire to protect himself. A shootout continued between the trespasser and ranch hand but amazingly it appears nobody was injured."

The sheriff's office and highway patrol set up a perimeter to search for the gunman, aided by a helicopter and airplane dispatched to the scene. The gunman slipped away in the rugged terrain.

If you have any information about this case, call 510 667-7721. The case is being pursued as attempted murder.

— By Bea Karnes, Patch; Photo by Alameda County Sheriff's Office