COLTON – A man released from jail to conform with Governor Brown’s realignment plan to reduce prison population was chased on foot through a residential area, tossing a loaded semi-automatic rifle during the pursuit.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jesse Labato, 24, of Colton, on Wednesday night when they were on patrol in the 1000 block of H Street. Reports stated that deputies noticed Labato at Grand Avenue and H Street “acting suspiciously,” and he began walking in the opposite direction after noticing the deputies just before 8 p.m.
When deputies approached, Labato (also called Lobato in some reports) walked toward a home where a woman and her small children were in the front yard. He told the resident he was going into the backyard of her home, but deputies were told she “did not know Labato and he did not live there.” Labato suddenly began to flee from deputies, running through yards along H Street. He eventually tried to force entry into another house’s front door, but a woman there was able to hold the door closed.
He continued to flee from deputies, when they noticed him produce a handgun “hidden on his person,” say reports. Deputies said they watched Labato throw the gun over a fence into the yard of a nearby residence, while continuing to flee. Deputies eventually took him into custody on Grand Avenue, near Valley Blvd.
The gun recovered by deputies was fully loaded and fully functional, according to reports. It appeared to have been cut down and converted into a pistol. Deputies reported the weapon was also found with a loaded high capacity magazine attached.
Deputies said Labato initially gave a false name, likely an effort to avoid identification. Eventually he was found to be an active gang member with a felony no-bail arrest warrant for violation of his probation.
One deputy suffered an ankle injury during the pursuit; he was treated and released. Labato, who was taken to West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, had been on probation for robbery, a crime committed in Victorville, which is about 45 miles north of Colton, also in San Bernardino County.
A sheriff’s statement said Labato was out of jail due to Assembly Bill 109, requiring the state to lower its prison population. According to the bill, offenders with non-violent, non-sexual and non-serious convictions will serve reduced sentences in county jail, and be released under supervision.
