A documented gang member wounded in an officer-involved shooting after he accelerated a stolen car toward police near a Southcrest gas station pleaded guilty Wednesday to four felony charges, including assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.
Sergio Antonio Ceballos Reyes, 18, faces five years and eight months in prison when he is sentenced July 1.
Deputy Attorney General Donald Ostertag said members of the Regional Auto Theft Task Force spotted a stolen blue Honda Accord at the northeast corner of National Avenue and South 35th Street shortly after 11 a.m. on March 4.
As officers approached the stolen car in front of a Southcrest gas station, Reyes threw the car in reverse, striking one of the task force member’s vehicles, Ostertag said.
The prosecutor said Reyes then stepped on the gas and drove the stolen car forward toward a National City police officer, prompting District Attorney Investigator Shane Lynn to fire his weapon, wounding Reyes in the upper body.
Ostertag said Reyes crashed the vehicle into a light pole and fled on foot, throwing a .357-caliber handgun on the roof of a building.
Ostertag said Reyes has a juvenile arrest for robbery and was arrested last year for attempted murder in a case where charges were never filed.
In addition to assault on a peace officer on Wednesday, the defendant pleaded guilty to assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury and driving a stolen vehicle.
— City News Service