An ex-con who was arrested on suspicion of opening fire on a San Fernando police officer in the Angeles National Forest at the end of a police pursuit has been sentenced to 32 years in state prison.
Juan Carlos Vazquez, now 40, of Pacoima, pleaded no contest Thursday to one count each of assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer, fleeing pursuing peace officers in a vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of ammunition by a felon, according to Deputy District Attorney Geoff Lewin.
Vazquez also admitted a gun allegation, along with a prior strike for attempted carjacking in 2012.
The confrontation with the female San Fernando police officer occurred about 4 a.m. Nov. 8, 2021, when the officer pursued a white GMC pickup truck that failed to stop following a traffic violation, sheriff's Deputy Trina Schrader said shortly after the pursuit.
The motorist led the officer to the 13300 block of Little Tujunga Canyon Road in Sylmar, where the officer briefly lost sight of the vehicle before finding it disabled on a dirt shoulder. The officer exited her patrol car to search the area, but immediately came under gunfire, Schrader said. The officer, who was not injured, returned fire.
Vazquez was named as a person of interest the next day in the investigation, and authorities sought the public's help to find him.
"The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau with the help of the department's Major Crimes Bureau has worked tirelessly in efforts to locate and arrest the armed and dangerous suspect," sheriff's Deputy Shawn Du Busky said in a statement after Vazquez was taken into custody the following month.
"At the end of November (2021), utilizing law enforcement resources, Major Crimes Bureau detectives determined suspect Vazquez was hiding out near Buckeye, Arizona," Du Busky said. "Detectives reached out to the Buckeye Police Department, who quickly assembled resources to find and arrest suspect Vazquez."
Detectives from the Buckeye Police Department, along with the Phoenix Area West Valley Federal Marshals team, found Vazquez traveling in a compact car with several other men, Du Busky said.
"A tactical traffic stop was conducted and after a short standoff, suspect Vazquez was taken into custody," Du Busky said. "An AR-15-style semi- automatic `ghost' pistol was in his possession at the time of his arrest."
Vazquez was returned to Los Angeles County in March 2022 and has remained behind bars since then, according to jail records.
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