Authorities reached out to the public Tuesday for help tracking down a felon suspected of shooting a bail bondsman and firing on police on separate occasions to evade arrest in South Bay neighborhoods.
The first of the two firearm assaults allegedly committed by 36-year-old Christopher Templo Marquez over the last three weeks left the court-services worker with non-lethal bullet wounds, authorities reported.
The second shooting did not injure the targeted officers, who returned fire as the suspect made his escape by running across Interstate 5.
The shootout with police occurred about 2:45 a.m. Monday, after the driver of the stolen car Marquez was riding in was pulled over outside a fast-food restaurant in the 700 block of Roosevelt Avenue in National City, National City Police Department Lt. David Bavencoff said.
As the patrol personnel ordered the three occupants of the Honda Civic to surrender for questioning, Marquez jumped out of the car and ran off to the north, with two officers giving chase, according to Bavencoff.
After bolting onto a nearby on-ramp from East Seventh Street to northbound Interstate 5, Marquez allegedly turned and fired several shots in the direction of the officers, prompting them to return fire.
The suspect then ran onto the freeway and scrambled across the lanes to the west. It was unclear if he had been struck by the officers’ gunfire, Bavencoff said.
Police fanned out through the area but were unable to locate the suspect.
On the evening of March 15, Marquez allegedly opened fire on bail agents trying to take him into custody outside a home on East J Street in Chula Vista, wounding one of them, according to police. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening bullet wounds.
The shooting led to a 10-hour police standoff that ended when SWAT officers stormed the residence and found it unoccupied.
Marquez, who has prior convictions for burglary, robbery, auto theft, receiving stolen property and drug crimes, is a 5-foot-8-inch, roughly 190-pound Filipino with tattoos on the right side of his face and his chest. The public is advised to consider him armed and dangerous.
Anyone who might be able to help authorities capture Marquez is asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.