(Updated) Patterson police ask for public's help to find armed robbery suspect

Patterson police are requesting the public’s help with any information on the whereabouts of a suspect in an armed robbery and aggravated battery that occurred Friday morning. In a separate incident, police say more shots were fired Saturday morning, but no one was hit.

Wanya Francis, 22, is wanted on charges of aggravated battery with medical attention, armed robbery and illegal possession of a firearm by a felon, Police Chief Patrick LaSalle said in a Friday news release. Francis’ last known address is in the 1500 block of Live Oak Street in Patterson.

Police say the incident was reported about 3 a.m. Friday on Tall Timbers Road. One victim was allegedly beaten with a firearm during an armed robbery.

No additional information was given on the circumstances of Francis’ alleged crimes.

Francis is believed to be armed and dangerous. Any citizen found harboring Francis will be prosecuted, LaSalle said. Police say a reward is being offered for the arrest and conviction of Francis. No photo of Francis was provided.

In another incident, police responded to a report at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday of multiple shots fired in the area of Taft Street. Investigators located two rounds at a home in the 500 block of Taft Street and another bullet outside the home, LaSalle said in a news release. The investigation is ongoing.

Investigators still haven’t released the names of two possible suspects in a Thursday shooting during which one man was shot three times in the area of Hickory and Taft streets. The victim was later released from a hospital in that case. Police said they had two possible suspects in that shooting, but haven’t released their identities.

LaSalle says shootings and discharges of firearms drastically increased this summer, and police confirmed that two victims have been injured in the shootings. Investigators are having trouble getting any information from the public on the shootings, the chief said.

One person was confirmed to have been injured during a late-June shooting on Murphy Street. The victim is believed to have run from there to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue where authorities located him, LaSalle said.

Tyrique Jones, 19, is wanted on a warrant charging him with aggravated second-degree battery requiring medical attention in connection with the late-June shooting. Jones had previously been arrested on an attempted second-degree murder charge stemming from an October 2016 drive-by shooting in the area of Taft and Hickory streets.

Anyone with information on any of these cases is asked to call the Patterson Police Department at 985-395-6161.