A jury has convicted a man of
attempted murder
and other charges for the shooting of a San Diego police officer during a foot pursuit in the Chollas Creek area in 2023.
J.C. Blake Sartor, 32, is accused of fleeing from Officer James Romero, then shooting him in the arm more than two years ago.
Prosecutors said Romero was pursuing a stolen pickup truck on June 8, 2023 when he spotted Sartor.
Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle told the jury that
Romero tailed Sartor
to the area of Ogden and Wightman streets, where the prosecutor said Sartor abandoned the truck and took off running.
Romero gave chase down a narrow alley where Biddle said Sartor turned and fired, striking Romero in the right arm. As Romero ran back down the alley away from Sartor, Biddle said Sartor fired a second shot, which struck an apartment building.
“Rather than simply pull over and face the music for a relatively low- level felony, the defendant chose instead to try and kill a pursuing San Diego police officer,” Biddle told jurors.
After the shots were fired, Biddle said
Sartor
got into a companion’s awaiting vehicle. The prosecutor said a search of Sartor’s cell phone showed he called that person during the time of the shooting.
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During the trial, Romero
identified Sartor
as the man who shot him. He also testified about the effects of the injuries he sustained, including lingering pain and nightmares that persisted for months.
Sartor was
arrested six days
after the June 8, 2023 shooting and was found with a bag containing an unserialized “ghost gun.”
City News Service contributed to this report.
