by On Tuesday, jurors in the trial of a man accused of shooting a San Diego police officer during a pursuit in Chollas View and attempting to kill him began deliberations.
The 32-year-old J.C. Blake Sartor is charged with shooting Officer James Romero in the arm two years ago after escaping from him.
Romero was chasing a stolen pickup truck, according to the prosecution. After leaving the car, Sartor fled down a small alley before turning and shooting at Romero.
One bullet damaged the officer’s right arm, and another impacted an apartment building. Prosecutors claim that Romero was shot without having his gun pulled.
Romero named Sartor as the one who shot him throughout the trial. In his testimony, he also discussed the effects of his injuries, such as chronic agony and months-long nightmares.
Six days after the June 8, 2023 incident, Sartor was taken into custody and discovered in possession of a bag that contained an unidentified ghost pistol. In their closing arguments on Tuesday afternoon, the defense and prosecution both concurred that it was the weapon Romero was shot with.
But according to Loyst Fletcher, Sartor’s defense lawyer, the evidence at trial did not prove his client was the shooter.
According to Fletcher, neither Romero’s body-worn camera footage nor that of other cameras in the area where the incident took place captured the gunman.
Additionally, he claimed that Romero’s description of the suspect’s attire to his fellow police did not correspond with that of a witness who saw the shooter begin fire. Additionally, the witness witnessed the gunman collide with an idling vehicle before it fled the scene of the shooting.
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According to Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle, Sartor was the gunman because of the enormous and copious amount of evidence. Included are his remarks to a jail informant, cell phone location data that places him in the vicinity of the incident, and his fingerprints and DNA that were discovered inside the stolen truck.
According to Fletcher, Sartor was basically promoting himself to the informant, a fellow prisoner who claimed to be a gang member serving a double murder sentence. Sartor’s statements to the informant, according to Biddle, included specifics about the incident, such as the fact that he was taken into custody six days later.
In addition, Sartor is charged with a 2021 East County chase in which prosecutors claim he fled from officers in a stolen car. The chase covered about 17 miles.
