No Charges Against Officers in Shooting Death of Kansas Man

Four officers won’t face criminal charges for shooting and killing a Kansas man who tried to drive through a wildfire evacuation checkpoint near a Northern California marijuana farm last summer.

Soobleej Hawj, 35, of Kansas City, Kansas, was driving a pickup truck loaded with guns and 132 pounds of marijuana when he ignored orders at a checkpoint June 24 as a lightning-sparked fire threatened a rural Big Springs area near the Oregon border, District Attorney Kirk Andrus said.

The blaze forced thousands to flee.

Hawj, who had both amphetamines and methamphetamine in his system, pulled a .45-caliber handgun and pointed it at a law enforcement officer, causing other officers to open fire, Andrus said in a letter to law enforcement agencies explaining his decision, the Sacramento Bee reported.

Hawj was struck several times in the head, chest, arms and legs.

In addition to the handgun and the marijuana, investigators found another handgun and two loaded assault rifles with large magazines, the letter said.