Crime & Safety
Windsor Armored Truck Robbery Defendant Convicted
Sonoma County jurors convicted Ivan Morales, 25, of the 2016 attempted murder of an armored truck guard outside a Windsor bank. (Breaking)
SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A Sonoma County Superior Court jury convicted a Lake County man Thursday of the premeditated attempted murder of an armored truck guard during an armed robbery outside a Windsor bank and then assaulting a Calistoga police officer with an AK-47 in Napa County in 2016. The eight women and four men on the jury also convicted Ivan Morales, 25, of robbery, assault and personal discharge of a firearm charges.
The Loomis armored truck guard was shot in the shoulder, arm and leg outside the Chase Bank on July 12, 2016, and spent several weeks in the hospital.
Morales and his co-defendant Sergey Gutsu, 25, of Antelope, drove to Windsor in a Suzuki vehicle that was hijacked in Sacramento. They waited outside the bank and pulled behind the Loomis truck when the guard got out with a moneybag, then Morales shot him.
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Morales and Gutsu then fled to Calistoga in a Chevrolet Suburban. Calistoga police Officer Luis Paniagua collided his patrol car into the Chevrolet and Gutsu then got out of the car and shot at Paniagua but missed.
He was arrested at the scene.
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Morales fled but he was found later hiding in a culvert.
Gutsu told the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office the incident was a "robbery gone bad."
Gutsu pleaded no contest during the trial to attempted murder of a peace officer, robbery, assault, shooting at an occupied vehicle and vehicle theft. He faces 51 years and four months to life in prison when he is sentenced Jan. 25.
The defendants were tried before two separate juries, and opening statements began in early October. The trial was interrupted by the Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County on Oct. 8, at least one juror became ill, and the jury in the Morales trial did not deliberate over the December holidays. They returned to court Thursday and reached a verdict around 1 p.m.
Judge Patrick Broderick told the jurors "you are legends in this courtroom and in this courthouse," because of their tenacity and perseverance.
"None of you will ever have to ask if you served your duty and met your obligations," Broderick said.
Some of the female jurors cried as the verdict was read.
Morales is scheduled to be sentenced March 8.
By Bay City News Service
Image via Shutterstock
