Stolen CHP Patrol Car, Fresno man charged with attempted murder of Police Officer
By IAN MORRISON/Staff Writer – Sept. 24, 2004
KRAMER JUNCTION, CA -- An unidentified 23-year-old Fresno man was arrested
on Thursday after he allegedly tried to kill a California Highway Patrol officer
near Kramer Junction.
At 12:57 p.m., an unidentified couple from Las Vegas called 911 after spotting a white limousine on the side of Old State Highway 58, near Kramer Junction. They believed the vehicle looked similar to a limousine that had been reported stolen from the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and made the news that morning, Barstow CHP Officer Adam Cortinas said.
While in contact with Barstow CHP, the couple flagged down a Mojave CHP sergeant in the area. The unidentified sergeant confirmed the limousine to be stolen and arrested the Fresno man, who was walking along the opposite side of the highway, Cortinas said.
As the sergeant interviewed the couple, he noticed that the man, who was suspected to be under the influence of a controlled substance, had managed to slip his handcuffs around to the front of his body and was wiggling his way into the driver's seat of CHP cruiser, Cortinas said.
A scuffle ensued as the sergeant tried to wrestle control of the car from the man, who managed to put the cruiser into gear and careened up an embankment on the side of the highway with the CHP sergeant hanging out of the window, Cortinas said.
The cruiser got stuck and the fight between the two men continued, while the Las Vegas couple contacted 911 again. At one point, the Fresno man was able to grab the officer's sidearm and a shot was fired, which tore through the driver's side door of the cruiser, he said.
An unidentified United States Army States Army sergeant who happened to be driving by the scene on his way to the National Training Center and Fort Irwin, heard the shot and got of his car to assist the CHP sergeant. Both men were able to wrestle the gun away from the suspect and subdue him, Cortinas said.
The CHP sergeant and the Fresno man both suffered minor injuries. The Fresno man was arrested and booked into the Barstow Sheriff's Station Jail for attempted murder of a police officer and other unspecified charges, he said.
No one was injured in the scuffle and the Barstow CHP is investigating the incident.