Man Engages Police In Gunfire, Steals Squad Car
The BakersfieldChannel.com
09-03-03
A high-speed chase turned into a SWAT standoff in southwest Bakersfield on Wednesday.
On Snowdrift Court, just southwest of Harris and Stine roads, police finally got Humberto Benavidez, 35, to surrender after a two-hour standoff. No one was hurt, but the events leading up to his arrest played out like a Hollywood movie – complete with a high-speed car chase, gunfire and even a car theft. The suspect stole a police car to get away.
Police found Benavidez inside the attic at his relatives’ home in southwest Bakersfield.
"I’m concerned, we don’t want bullets flying through these cardboard houses," one resident said.
It started about 8:30 a.m. at a home on Ravenwood in the northwest. Police say detectives went to arrest him for a warrant for trying to take a police officer’s gun while evading arrest in August.
They chased Benavidez to Stockdale and El Rio, where he crashed his truck into another vehicle and fled on foot. Officers fired shots at him but missed, hitting a nearby church. That’s when Benavidez circled around and stole one of the police cars chasing him.
Police were unable to keep up, but a phone call from a neighbor in the Seasons development led them to believe he was there. Upon arriving at the location, they found the stolen police car. Police searched door-to-door then learned he was in the attic of a home where his relatives live. Neighbors for blocks were told to stay inside or get out. The SWAT team arrived and negotiations went on for more than an hour.
At least half a dozen schools were put into lockdown because of this morning’s chase.
"We heard the helicopters this morning it kinda woke me up out of bed," said Lance Swaim, parent of a Williams Elementary student.
"All the police cars were driving up and down the street and everything was blocked off," said Sandra Lee, a worried grandmother. "It was scary."
It was actually in the northwest where Benavidez ran into a church courtyard. Police opened fire, missing him entirely and leaving bullet holes and shattering glass in the church.
Laurelglen Elementary was one of the schools placed on lockdown, but the school closest to where the shootings occurred was the Precious Lambs Preschool, where 28 children were on the playground moments before the shots rang out.
The pre-school is located on the church grounds, yards from where the shooting took place. "By the time he came over here, we were already inside and locked down," one teacher said.
Precious Lambs Preschool director Tamara Sanchez says thanks to fast-thinking teachers who kept their cool, the kids were quickly moved inside and out of harm’s way.
The children and their teachers sang songs and read books. Even though the pre-schoolers don’t know what happened, parents were relieved their little ones were safe. The Precious Lambs Preschool director tells us that because the students were singing and stirring about, they weren’t even able to hear the gunshots.