Cesar Guerrero’s shotgun
Ventura County – It’s an eternal verity that unexpected events and unpredictable circumstances are to be expected and predicted in the working life of uniformed patrol officers.
Proof of that reality came in the early evening hours of November 16th when, according to the Oxnard Police Department’s Watch Commander’s Report, a routine traffic stop pursuant to an observed motor vehicle violation led to a confrontation with an armed suspect. As the cops attempted to pull the suspect vehicle over, things became much more interesting when the suspect driver slammed his car to a stop, hopped out, and began running from the cops.
As the percentage of suspects fleeing on foot who successfully avoid apprehension is on the order of the total number of men who have walked on the moon, the chase ended with the apprehension of 19-year-old Oxnard resident Cesar Guerrero when he was tackled in the backyard of a nearby home.
Most intriguing to the arresting officers was the fact that Guerrero was running while in possession of “a sawed-off shotgun and ammunition.”
The ensuing investigation quickly led officers to the determination that Guerrero as, in fact, wanted on a felony warrant, which would have earned him an arrest even if he hadn’t been carrying a loaded firearm.
He was then transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on charges of carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle with occupants, carrying a loaded firearm, and resisting arrest. Presumably his traffic violation is the least of his problems, as his bail was set at $60,000.
Photo: Courtesy Oxnard Police
