[b]Man arraigned on counts of trying to kill 4 officers[/b]

A San Pablo 19-year-old was angry at police for towing his car, records show

By Leslie Fulbright
TIMES STAFF WRITER


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


SAN PABLO -- A 19-year-old man was arraigned Tuesday on five counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a cluster of San Pablo police officers on patrol in his neighborhood.

Leonardo Lima Ramirez said he fired his rifle at the officers because he was angry at police for recently towing his car, according to records filed in Contra Costa Superior Court.

"I was so mad I didn't care what police officer I killed; I just wanted to kill," Ramirez reportedly told police in an interview after his arrest. "I pointed my rifle at the group of them."

Four police officers, who were trying to stop a vehicle for a traffic violation when the shots were fired, escaped unharmed, said San Pablo police Sgt. Doug Hearn. The vehicle's driver was unhurt.

Ramirez, of San Pablo, was arrested after the gunfire Sunday in the 1500 block of Bush Avenue.

Ramirez told police he had been angered by an earlier incident in Richmond when police seized his car. "I asked for a break and they still took the car because I am unlicensed," Ramirez said, according to court records.

When Ramirez saw the group of officers gathered near his apartment complex Sunday, he walked to his apartment and took a rifle and several bullets from his closet, records show. He was about 300 feet from the officers when he fired, Hearn said.

Of the three bullets fired, one struck a police car parked a few feet from the officers and another struck a nearby vehicle. The third round was never found, police said.

"Afterward, he went back to his house, hid the gun, and asked his friend to check and see if he hit anybody," Hearn said.

Ramirez was walking about a block from his home when police detained and questioned him. He led them to the rifle, hidden in a trash can in the laundry room of his apartment complex, records show.

During his appearance Tuesday, Ramirez cried when the court-appointed interpreter read the charges against him. He was referred to the office of the public defender and is expected to enter a plea March 6.

Ramirez is being held in lieu of $6 million bail at County Jail in Martinez.

A 19-year-old man was arraigned Tuesday on five counts of attempted murder for allegedly shooting at a [i]cluster[/i] of San Pablo police officers on patrol in his neighborhood.