Knife-wielding maniac knocks out San Francisco churchgoer, then leads cops on a chase punctuated by explosions: Police



A felon with a history of blowing things up attacked a churchgoer and led police on an explosive chase through San Francisco Sunday night, according to the San Francisco Police Department. When captured, the suspect allegedly asked his arresting officer how many points he had racked up on Grand Theft Auto.

The SFPD indicated that officers responded just before 6 p.m. on Sunday to a report of a man brandishing a knife and assaulting a parishioner at Saints Peter and Paul Church across from Washington Square Park in the North Beach neighborhood.

KPIX-TV reported that the suspect waltzed into the church and demanded money from a parishioner whom he did not know.

"The parishioner continued to pray and ignored him, at which point the suspect then violently assaulted this parishioner, punching him in the head," said SFPD Assistant Chief David Lazar. "We believe the parishioner went unconscious temporarily."

Other parishioners rushed to the victim's rescue and called 911 while the suspect continued demanding money with a folding knife in hand.

Officers arrived on the scene within minutes of the incident and spotted the suspect stealing into a vehicle and preparing to flee the scene. They called for medical aid for the victim, then gave chase.

The SFPD noted that the suspect, who has been identified as 42-year-old Concord resident Daniel Garcia, failed to yield to pursuing officers. Instead, police said Garcia threw two improvised explosive devices at pursuing officers.

The first went off in the 1500 block of Jones Street.

"The officers described not only seeing the flames of the device that hit the ground, but when the bomb detonated, they could feel the blowback of that in their vehicles," said Lazar. "They believe the suspect intentionally tried to seriously injure or kill them."

Garcia threw the second IED at police near 8th and Mission, according to Lazar.

The San Francisco Standard noted that a police officer can be heard on scanner audio recordings reporting, "He threw another bomb. ... It blew up on Mission," at 6:04 p.m..

One of the IEDs was reportedly a pipe bomb, and the other was a Molotov cocktail.

— (@)

Garcia allegedly attempted to lose police on the freeway, taking I-80 eastbound, where California Highway Patrol joined the chase.

It appears that Garcia gave up on allegedly attempting to murder police officers while on the freeway, as a CHP spokesman told KGO-TV, "No incendiaries were thrown during our portion of the pursuit, however, items were located in the vehicle at the termination point."

Roughly 30 minutes later, he wrecked his vehicle in Martinez and was captured by police.

Garcia was booked into the San Francisco County Jail and charged with second-degree robbery; assault with a deadly weapon; threatening an officer; three counts of attempted murder; three counts of possession of an explosive; evading an officer with willful disregard; two counts of explosion of destructive device with intent to murder; two counts of explosion of destructive device with intent to injure; three counts of carrying an explosive in a passenger vehicle for hire; resisting, obstructing, and/or delaying of a peace officer or EMT; and various traffic infractions.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin of North Beach indicated that upon his arrest, Garcia asked an officer "how many points he got in his Grand Theft Auto game" — a video game series featuring a star system corresponding to the level of attention the player's murder and mayhem has warranted from the in-game police.

"In 23 years of doing this stuff, this is probably the most bizarre," said Peskin.

On Monday, heavily armed police and a bomb disposal robot checked out Garcia's property. Officers reportedly left the residence with loaded brown paper bags and a box of what appeared to be glass bottles.

His neighbor, Stephen Salbato, said, "He's someone who never smiled."

This is not Garcia's first run-in with the law.

Garcia was convicted and sentenced in 2012 to 35 years in a federal prison for "malicious use of explosives, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, and two counts of possession of unregistered destructive devices."

He planted a bomb underneath an SUV belonging to his former tenant beside an apartment building in Fairfield. The bomb went off, sending shrapnel into both the vehicle and the neighboring building, where children and others were sleeping.

Garcia had apparently targeted the former tenant because he had left behind trash when moving out.

The U.S. attorney at the time said, "The defendant’s attempt to resolve a minor private dispute by detonating a bomb endangered the lives of all those who were sleeping in the apartment building in Fairfield that night. While it is fortunate that no one was harmed, the defendant’s actions, together with his possession of a second bomb in the residential neighborhood where he lived, merit a long prison sentence."

Evidently, Garcia did not serve the entirety of his prison sentence.

The Standard reported that the bomber was released in February 2019 after he successfully challenged his conviction on one of his charges.

Garcia was also arrested in May on domestic violence charges and for illegally owning a firearm. KPIX indicated he was scheduled to appear in a Contra Costa courtroom to face those charges on Tuesday.

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Suspect tries to flee Phoenix police by leaping rooftop to rooftop. When that fails, he tries to outrun a K-9 unit.



A suspect took a police chase to the rooftops of Phoenix Tuesday evening. Despite some bold moves, he was ultimately brought down by gravity and a particularly eager K-9 unit.

Police indicated in a statement obtained by KSAZ-TV that Jamie Chavira's downfall Tuesday began when he allegedly failed to stop his vehicle for police in the area of 38th Avenue and Mobile Lane.

"The vehicle failed to yield to a traffic stop and felony flight was established," said the statement. "Officers did not initiate a pursuit of the vehicle. Rather, it was tracked to the area of 35th Avenue and Roeser Street."

Chavira, 19, was reportedly seen in the area jumping into the back yard of several homes as well as climbing onto a number of rooftops.

Christelle Kouam Chuene was at home with her three sleeping children when she heard the commotion.

Chuene told KSAZ, "When I looked out my window, I saw somebody jumping house to house. ... I saw him jumping from one house to the other one. It was so crazy. It was really cray and scary."

"I just saw the guy jumping like a monkey," she added. "He seems like he knew what he was doing."

Evidently, Chavira didn't know how to do it successfully.

The final moments of the chase were captured by Chuene's Ring doorbell camera.

The footage shows the shirtless suspect illuminated by a helicopter's search light atop the roof of a West Phoenix home near 35th Avenue and Roeser Road. Several officers can be seen closing in below with nonlethal weapons at the ready.

Undaunted by what appears to be a gap at least 10 feet wide, Chavira leaps toward the neighboring roof. Lacking the luck and grace necessary to traverse the divide, he lands between the houses.

Though grounded, Chavira is not yet willing to surrender. Instead, he pushes aside the blue bin that helped break his fall and makes a mad dash past police, through a hail of nonlethal rounds, and across the driveway of the neighboring house. Again, he is thwarted by his own ineptitude.

This time, he loses his footing, stumbles, then finds himself fighting the jaws of the law.

A K-9 unit got its teeth into what appears to be his hand. It thrashes its fleshy ransom until police officers are able to make the arrest.

K9 TAKEDOWN:\nPhoenix Police deployed a K9 on a suspect attempting to flee on foot after falling off a roof while jumping between houses last night.\n\n#News #Phoenix #Police #PoliceK9 #CaughtOnCamera
— Jack | OnSceneTV Phoenix (@Jack | OnSceneTV Phoenix) 1697595203

According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Chavira was charged with two counts of transportation violations and at least one count of criminal trespass and burglary. KSAZ indicated he has also been charged with resisting arrest.

Following his arrest, he was taken to a hospital to be treated for a dog bite, according to police.

Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office

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Ohio traffic stop goes sideways after couple takes a trucker hostage, then leads police on a 3-hour police chase, ending in gunfire and blood



Police pulled over a couple in a Dodge Caravan Wednesday morning after noticing they had been speeding through Ohio without taillights or visible registration. What might otherwise have gone down as a commonplace encounter quickly escalated into a bloody standoff.

Bodycam footage shows an officer from the London Police Department stopping the couple around 1 a.m. in Madison County, then approaching the van on the passenger's side.

"I just came from the ER," the 51-year-old female passenger told the officer, while her compatriot feigned shock about the lack of lights.

The officer indicated that "not a single light back there" was functioning, but reassured the couple they still might be able to get home since their brake lights were still operable — assuming, of course, the 54-year-old driver could provide some form of identification.

Appearing cooperative, the couple told the officer their names were Ronald and Barbara Taylor and that they were in town traveling. The driver ultimately failed to produce a driver's license, Social Security number, or temporary tags for his vehicle.

WBNS-TV reported that the suspects have since been identified as Elaine and Rodney Helman of Dayton.

As the officer walked away to check what LPD Chief Glenn Nicol indicated was false information, the driver revved his engine and veered off.

The couple made their way to a nearby BP gas station, where they bailed out of the van along with their dog and bolted in search of an alternate mode of transportation.

Police, who had given chase, pursued the suspects on foot.

As one officer came up on the suspects, he drew his taser and announced he would employ it should they fail to stand down. The male suspect allegedly drew a handgun, forcing the officer to take over behind a pickup truck.

The LPD indicated in a statement the suspect "pointed a handgun at the officer" after falling during the initial foot chase.

Nicol indicated that while the man did not ultimately shoot the officer, a live round was found at the truck stop.

LPD5 Bodycam youtu.be

The suspects managed to steal into an unlocked semi truck with no trailer but with the driver still inside, whom they reportedly took hostage.

In the semi and in the company of the unlucky truck driver, the couple blasted past the additional officers who had responded to the scene, striking a police cruiser in the process.

Taking once more to the road, the couple commenced a 2.5-hour chase.

Nicol indicated the top speeds reached in the pursuit were between 60 and 65 mph, reported the Daily Mail.

"Usually we try not to engage in such a long pursuit," said Nicol. "However with the speeds and the seriousness of crime and with the abduction taking place, we had to maintain contact with that vehicle."

The Ohio State Highway Patrol and Madison County sheriffs joined officers from the LPD in the pursuit, which ended off Interstate 70 near the Dayton International Airport just before 3:30 a.m..

Although the chase had come to an end, the standoff was only just beginning.

According to authorities, the OSHP's special response team arrived later Wednesday morning, while personnel with the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office attempted to negotiate with the suspects.

Around 7:30 a.m., the special response team in tactical gear approached the suspects in the semi "in an attempt to remove the hostage."

As the troopers approached the semi, they were reportedly shot at.

In response, the troopers returned fire, with one trooper allegedly blasting the cab over 20 times with his sidearm. Both suspects were hit in the exchange.

Fortunately, the hostage got out with only minor injuries, and no officers were reported injured in the shooting.

After the decisive firefight, troopers took the suspects into custody, both of whom were transported to the Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Both suspects were pronounce dead at the hospital.

Suspect killed, another seriously hurt after troopers fired shots into stolen semi during standoff youtu.be

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Three vehicles, two counties, one blistering-hot pursuit: Chase caught on camera ends as deputies open fire on berserker



A suspect led police on a dangerous high-speed chase through two Southern California counties on Wednesday night, stealing multiple cars, ramming deputies, breaking into a house, and putting countless lives at risk. The suspect, who has been identified as 32-year-old Johnny Anchondo, made abundantly clear with his crime spree that he'd rather risk death than jail time. Over an hour later, deputies appeared ready to oblige him.

Act I

It all began at 4:45 p.m. in the northern Orange County city of Fullerton when police observed the Hispanic driver of a black Honda Civic committing traffic violations near Auto Center Drive and I-5. The L.A. Times reported that the driver sped off, inaugurating a police chase that would last for well over an hour.

CBS News reported that the suspect had stopped near Buena Park to try to steal a truck. Having proven unable, he got back into the Civic.

According to Capt. Jon Radus, spokesman for the Fullerton Police Department, the driver of the Civic led police into Anaheim, getting on and off state route 91 in a successful attempt to lose the squad cars on his tail.

Although officers briefly lost sight of the Honda, KTTV reported that they quickly managed to track the suspect down to an apartment complex parking lot in northern Anaheim.

Act II

The suspect traded in the Civic and stole a white van belonging to Josh Reynolds.

The trade-in appeared short-lived, as police quickly cornered the suspect in the parking lot and readied their weapons.

Despite the commands issued by police, the driver of the stolen van refused to surrender. Instead, he rammed the single police cruiser that had hemmed him in, performed a four-point turn, and pulled out of the parking lot.

Reynolds said, "My refrigerated van was so heavy that he was able to push the police car out of his way by backing up and ramming it and squeezed out."

Just as the suspect got out of the parking lot, additional police units began to arrive. The driver nearly smashed into one cruiser head-on, threading by and speeding down a residential street.

\u201cWild car chase in Los Angeles County today...\n\nhttps://t.co/LInMuZvOyY\u201d
— Citizen Free Press (@Citizen Free Press) 1668047251

The suspect made his way to the city of Whittier in Los Angeles County.

Near Marquardt Ave and Imperial Highway, one of the stolen van's tires gave out. The van began to spew sparks as it rolled along on an exposed rim.

The suspect continued driving recklessly, trailing sparks right through a gas station.

On the other side of the station, another police unit managed to trap the suspect, pinning the wrecked van at Carmenita Rd. and Placid Drive. The suspect floored the gas, but rather than momentum, all he got was smoke and more sparks.

Once again police officers drew down on the suspect, and once again he evaded them, this time ditching the smoldering van and fleeing on foot.

Here is more footage of the van portion of the chase:

Police Chase: Suspect not giving up after tense pursuit in OC youtu.be

Act III

In a desperate attempt to evade the police now encircling the area, the suspect broke into a nearby house.

One of the residents, Andres Benitez, told KTTV that when the suspect stole into his house, Benitez confronted the man with a knife.

Benitez, who was disappointed the family's pit bull didn't make mincemeat of the intruder, escorted the suspect out of the home.

Benitez told reporters, "I told him I'm going to have to stab you right now, bro. ... But my mom just kept screaming and screaming. He saw that my mom was holding me back and he just got out of the house."

The suspect did, however, manage to steal the key to Benitez's pickup truck — a new acquisition he and his brother had made for their landscaping company.

The family can be seen on video frantically trying to stop the suspect as he steals Benitez's truck, nearly running over dogs on his way out of the driveway:

\u201cWATCH LIVE: A person is leading police on a wild car chase through Los Angeles County \ud83d\udc40\n\nhttps://t.co/X0kfExK3GD\u201d
— 7News DC (@7News DC) 1668044049

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took over the chase, which saw the suspect driving the wrong way, over medians, onto curbs, and threatening countless lives as he blasted through crowded intersections.

After several close calls on South Hacienda Boulevard, where the suspect reached speeds over 70 mph, the truck's front left wheel gave out. Losing control of the car and the situation, the suspect crashed into a Jeep, resulting in heavy damage.

Notwithstanding the damage, the suspect continued to press his luck.

Approaching traffic stopped at a red light, the suspect punched through four vehicles, hammering one into the intersection. A police cruiser barreled into the pickup in an apparent effort to prevent the suspect from endangering more lives. Several other police units closed in.

The front tires on Benitez's stolen truck were all rim, yet the rear drive still proved capable of scraping it along and into another gas station. LASD deputies immediately stormed the gas station, guns drawn.

After nearly toppling a gas pump, the suspect reversed into a deputy's vehicle. At that point, deputies — who believed the suspect was armed — weren't taking any more chances, electing instead to light Anchondo up.

Deputies riddled the stolen truck with bullets, but reportedly missed the suspect.

They approached the truck with ballistic shields and took Anchondo into custody.

\u201cLos Angeles police chase ending was nuts\u201d
— Ted Buddwell \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc8 (@Ted Buddwell \ud83c\udfc0\ud83c\udfc8) 1668047592

CBS News reported that one bystander was injured during the standoff and detained for refusing to get out of the line of fire.

Adrian Cruz had been sitting at the Hacienda Heights stoplight when the suspect drove into his sedan. A police cruiser rammed the white pickup, which in turn re-hammered Cruz's sedan.

Cruz said police began shooting at the suspect. "It just sounded crazy, like a war zone."

In total, three people were taken to the hospital with injuries caused by the suspect's reckless driving.

According to police records, Johnny Anchondo was previously charged with multiple felonies. He was arrested in November 2020, December 2020, January 2021, and February 2021, just in Los Angeles County.