Police have identified the passenger, but not the driver, of the
car that allegedly tried to run over an officer last week.
Police have identified the passenger, but not the driver, of the car that allegedly tried to run over an officer last week.
Detectives are looking for 33-year-old James Lucio, a known Norteño gang member who is wanted for parole violation and questioning in the attempted vehicular manslaughter case, police said. About 9:35 p.m. Sept. 16, the driver of a mid-size sedan Lucio was riding in ignored an officer’s commands to stop and instead sped up toward that officer. The officer, on foot, jumped out of the way while another officer fired shots at the fleeing vehicle.
The incident began as the two officers and a sergeant were wrapping up an unrelated narcotics investigation along the 100 block of Ronan Avenue, just north of Las Animas Veterans Park. The sergeant, driving in his car, recognized Lucio in a passing vehicle because he has known him for a “long time,” Sgt. Jim Gillio said.
Aware of Lucio’s parole violation, the sergeant immediately called out to the other two officers, one of whom attempted to block the road with his cruiser ahead of the sedan. That officer – who police have not yet named – then got out of his patrol car and signaled with his flashlight for the sedan to stop. As the officer approached the idling vehicle from the front, Officer Randy Bentson came up from behind while the sergeant turned his vehicle around. As the two officers closed in, the driver slowed down but then sped up, endangering the life of the officer standing an unspecified distance in front of the car, Gillio said.
The officer managed to dodge the vehicle, but Bentson – an 11-year veteran who completed regular firearm training a month prior with the rest of the department – feared for his colleague’s life and fired an undisclosed number of shots, striking the vehicle at least once. The incident took place in “a matter of seconds,” Gillio said, too soon for the sergeant to rejoin his team.
The suspects fled the scene and police gave chase, but the sedan made a series of “evasive” turns, causing the three officers to “immediately” lose sight of the suspects. Five to 10 minutes later, officers discovered the abandoned car in an unspecified apartment parking lot in the “immediate area.” The suspects were gone by the time officers arrived, but they left undisclosed evidence behind. Police also interviewed several witnesses.
Santa Clara County Superior Court files show Lucio has been in and out of court and jail throughout most of his adult life on more than 20 charges ranging from assault with a deadly weapon, threatening to commit a violent or deadly crime, buying or receiving stolen property, possession of marijuana, reckless driving, giving a false identity to a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, and selling marijuana.
Even recently, Lucio has had trouble with local law enforcement agencies. In March 2008, police arrested Lucio at his home along the 9000 block of Church Street for parole hold and resisting a peace officer. Police arrested him again for parole violation in September 2008 at his home along the 8400 block of Delta Drive, and Santa Clara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Lucio in April for parole hold, possession of stolen property and possession of marijuana during a traffic stop, according to Dispatch archives.
If you have information about this incident, you can contact Detective Stanley Devlin at 846-0335 or leave an anonymous tip by calling (800) 78-CRIME.
