SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF RIDGEWAY
STATE OF RIDGEWAY
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CASE NO. 0000-00000Z
CRIMINAL INFORMATION
Plaintiff
v.
CODKING2318
Defendant
CRIMINAL INFORMATION
Comes forth the State of Ridgeway to seek justice and preserve the dignity of the state and
therein charge the defendant as follows;
COUNT ONE - 3 R.S.C § 09 - First-Degree Murder
OFFENSE TYPE - FELONY
The act of committing murder in the course of committing or attempting to commit kidnapping,
burglary, robbery, arson, obstruction or retaliation; or of committing murder of a peace officer or civil
department employee discharging a lawful and official duty, with the knowledge of the person being a
peace officer or civil department employee; or of committing murder with malice aforethought. On or
about January 23, 2024, the Defendant knowingly caused the death of RCSO Deputy Arthur_Chen, a
peace officer discharging his lawful and official duties while patrolling Ridgeway County in a marked
RCSO vehicle and wearing a marked RCSO uniform by shooting the deputy with a Stetson M2-A.
COUNT TWO - 3 R.S.C § 05 - Aggravated Battery Class II
OFFENSE TYPE - FELONY
The act of causing serious bodily injury to another, or uses a deadly weapon in the commission, against
one who is a public official, police officer, emergency worker, witness, or informant. On or about
January 23, 2024, the Defendant used a deadly weapon to threaten the Deputy with immediate bodily
injury, and the victim was a police officer.
COUNT THREE - 5 R.S.C § 08 - Unlawful Possession of a Government-Issued Equipment
OFFENSE TYPE - FELONY
The act of unlawfully possessing any police-grade equipment in any off-duty or civilian storage device,
capacity, or other inventory not mentioned of which is not authorized by law or relevant departmental
policy. On or about January 23, 2024, the Defendant was in possession of a Stetson M2-A, a
police-grade rifle, in a civilian inventory not authorized by law or relevant departmental policy.
STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE
Your affiant, being duly sworn, depose and state that the facts supporting this belief are as
follows:
I have been employed within the Ridgeway State Police since April 2022. I’ve been a Law Enforcement
Officer in Ridgeway for over a year now. I’m a former Sergeant within the Ridgeway National Guard,
Military Police Detachment. I am a former Ridgeway County Sheriff’s Office, Criminal Investigations
Division Detective. During my career in the Sheriff’s Office, I was also in the Special Response Team as
an Operative II. I’m currently the Chief Ranger within the Ridgeway Park Service, and a former Police
Officer within the Palmer Police Department. I am a graduate from LETC Class 4, known and
experienced Law Enforcement Officer.
This statement is made in support of a criminal complaint against CODKING2318 for violations of the
aforementioned statutes
On 01/23/2024, at approximately 11:02 pm Eastern Standard Time, Deputy Arthur_Chen with the
Ridgeway County Sheriff’s Office observed the defendant pull into the Sterling Fitness parking lot and
quickly step out of his vehicle, drawing a Stetson M2-A, and proceeding to fire it at the Deputy, which
then resulted in the death of the Deputy.
On 01/23/2024, the Ridgeway State Police’s State Bureau of Investigations was made aware of the
actions of the defendant. As a result, Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge Reindownload was assigned to
investigate the incident.
A statement was attached with the tipline that was sent to the State Bureau of Investigations. The
complainant, known as Deputy Arthur_Chen, who is employed under the Ridgeway County Sheriff’s
Office stated the following in his statement sent to the Bureau. The Deputy states he was patrolling
Ridgeway County at approximately 11:02pm performing his day to day duties as a peace officer for the
County. Deputy Chen stated he engaged his emergency lighting system, and stated the Grey Percivel
failed to have their headlights on and failed to signal 2 lane changes. Deputy Chen states he attempted to
pull the vehicle over for the aforementioned statutes, which the driver of the Percivel, also known as
CODKING2318, yielded to the emergency lights and pulled into the Sterling Fitness Parking lot. Deputy
Chen stated as soon as he followed the vehicle into the parking lot, the defendant quickly emerged from
his vehicle, equipping a Stetson M2-A, and discharging it at the Deputy, resulting in his death.
Attached along with the statement provided by Deputy Arthur_Chen was Exhibit A, “CODKING2318
Criminal Evidence #1”. To further investigate, the clip was reviewed by your affiant who was assigned
to investigate the case. Within the video provided by Deputy Chen, the Grey Percivel is seen driving
erratically, breaking multiple Ridgeway State Vehicle Code statutes, which were mentioned in the
statement provided by Deputy Chen. The Grey Percivel is seen driving without its headlights on, and
performs 2 unsafe lane changes without signaling, which were both valid reasons for Deputy Chen to
attempt to initiate a traffic stop on the defendant. At 0:05 in Exhibit A, Deputy Chen proceeds to activate
his emergency lighting system and sirens to signal the defendant he is being pulled over. At 0:09, the
defendant is seen pulling his handbrake, drifting into the parking lot of Sterling Fitness and coming to a
complete stop. Upon Deputy Chen pulling in behind the defendant's vehicle, the defendant had already
been stepping out of his vehicle before the Deputy could come to a complete stop. At 0:13, the
defendant is seen charging at the defendant with a Stetson M2-A, which is against the Ridgeway State
Code, unlawful possession of a deadly weapon, and brandishing which were mentioned earlier. The
defendant then unlawfully discharged his firearm at Deputy Chen through the windshield of his patrol
vehicle, which resulted in the Deputy being killed before he could hit his panic button. The defendant is
then seen collecting ammunition from the Deputy’s dead body, which is government-issued equipment
and illegal to possess as a Resident. At 0:28, the defendant and his accomplice enter the Grey Percivel
and proceed to drive away from the crime scene.
An interview was conducted with Deputy Arthur_chen in order to gain a better understanding of his
point of view during this incident that occurred on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024. The interview can be
found below under Exhibit B listed as “3-09-0197-S-RSP | Complainant Interview”.
I swear that all statements made in this statement of probable cause are true and correct to the
best of my knowledge under the pains and penalties of perjury.
Affiant Reindownload
Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, State Bureau of
Investigations
Ridgeway State Police
Executed:
03/06/2024
Being authorized to prosecute the offenses charged, I approve this information
Prosecutor /s/ Techiey
Attorney General
Ridgeway Department of Justice
Executed:
03/06/2024
