A man who fired several shots into a Carlsbad police car during a high-speed chase last year, disabling the cruiser but causing no injuries, pleaded guilty Monday to discharging a firearm at an occupied vehicle and other counts.
Cameron Avery Valentine faces nearly 38 years in prison when he is sentenced Sept. 20, according to Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon.
The events that led to Valentine’s arrest began about 3:30 a.m. on June 10, 2015, when a car break-in was reported in the 2300 block of La Costa Avenue in Carlsbad. A witness told investigators the possible perpetrator drove off in a light-colored truck.
Later, an officer spotted a vehicle matching the description of the getaway vehicle and tried to pull it over on Palomar Airport Road, but the driver sped off, police said.
As the officer gave chase, Valentine fired seven or eight rounds toward the pursuing squad car, striking the front of it twice, Runyon said. The officer was not hit.
The chase continued into San Marcos at speeds exceeding 100 mph. After several miles, the police car broke down due to the gunfire damage and Valentine got away, but he was arrested in Clairemont the next day.
A subsequent search of an apartment in Escondido turned up the tailgate of Valentine’s truck sprayed with bullet holes, along with shell casings and a backpack with stolen items inside, Runyon said.
Valentine, 28, also pleaded guilty to an unrelated robbery which happened a week before the pursuit and shooting.
Co-defendant Coty Jastorff, 24, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the vehicle pursuit/shooting and the earlier robbery and faces nearly 13 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 9.
A third man, 48-year-old Michael Derieux, pleaded guilty to charges of robbery, felon in possession of a firearm and assault and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
–City News Service
