An assault suspect who allegedly led police on a 32-mile chase from Encinitas to Pala, then holed up in his truck for five hours, must stand trial on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and evading police with reckless driving, a judge ruled Thursday.
Oscar Daniel Cedillo, 34, faces five years and eight months in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Keith Watanabe.
Sheriff’s officials said Cedillo fled in a black Chevrolet Silverado about 9:30 a.m. last Oct. 13 when a deputy contacted him in a neighborhood near Encinitas Ranch Golf Course regarding a report that Cedillo had been loitering suspiciously in the area.
Deputies followed Cedillo as he fled to the east and north, determining in the process that he was the subject of an arrest warrant stemming from an alleged assault on a peace officer a month earlier, in which he allegedly dragged a deputy who had stopped him on suspicion of DUI 15 feet with his car.
The California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit on northbound Interstate 15 near Gopher Canyon Road, after which the suspect exited the freeway and continued through Pala, Pauma and Valley Center, said CHP public-affairs Officer Jim Bettencourt.
In the area of Cole Grade and Valley Center roads and again on Pala Mission Road, Cedillo’s truck ran over tire-flattening spike strips officers had laid in his path. A short time later, Cedillo’s pickup crashed to a halt into a roadside planter at Pala Temecula Road and Pala Mission Circle.
Law enforcement officers took up positions around the vehicle with guns drawn and ordered Cedillo to get out. He refused and doused himself with fuel from a gas can as he sat behind the wheel of the disabled truck, authorities said.
The stalemate continued until shortly after 3 p.m., when a SWAT team shot tear gas into the truck, pulled the suspect out and took him into custody.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Vista Courthouse, Judge Robert Kearney found there was enough evidence to order Cedillo to stand trial. A readiness conference was scheduled March 23 and a trial date set for April 12.
— City News Service
