Man Who Shot At Riverside County Sheriff's Patrol Car Sentenced

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A man who opened fire on a Riverside County sheriff's deputy patrolling south Moreno Valley was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in state prison.

Jacob Gonzalez, 24, pleaded guilty in September to armed assault on a peace officer with a sentence-enhancing gun use allegation. In exchange for his admissions, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office dropped charges of attempted murder, shooting at an occupied vehicle and assault with a firearm.

Superior Court Judge Emma Smith certified the terms of the plea agreement and imposed the stipulated sentence. Gonzalez will have to serve a minimum 7.5 years behind bars before he is eligible for parole.

The defendant targeted the sheriff's patrol unit on the afternoon of last Dec. 11 near the intersection of Cactus Avenue and Graham Street, just north of the March Air Reserve Base.

According to sheriff's Sgt. William Stens, a deputy patrolling the area came under fire from the occupant of a passing vehicle. One bullet struck the patrol vehicle, Stens said.

The deputy was unable to immediately identify from where the shot came. He was not injured.

Detectives relied on video from the City-Wide Camera System to identify the driver who fired the shot, and roughly 24 hours later, deputies staked out the area of Alessandro Boulevard and Ellsworth Street, waiting for the defendant to leave his residence, according to the sergeant.

Gonzalez, who had no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County, was stopped and arrested without a struggle.

There was no clear explanation for why he shot at the deputy.

— By City News Service / Patch file photo by Renee Schiavone