By Rob Parsons
Merced Sun-Star
MERCED, Calif. — A Merced police officer was shot early Saturday during a traffic stop on H Street — an incident that erupted into a gun battle between officers and at least one man.
The officer, whose name has not been released, is expected to recover from his injuries, the Police Department said.
The incident was reported around 2:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2100 block of H Street, Lt. Andre Matthews told the Sun-Star. Two suspects were involved, both of whom have been taken into custody. The suspects have been identified as Jaime Caudillo, 30, and Steven Rincon, 24.
Caudillo was identified as the passenger of the suspect vehicle, while Rincon was the driver.
After the vehicle was pulled over by police, Caudillo allegedly began shooting at one of the officers. An officer was struck by gunfire.
Two officers who had responded to the scene during the traffic stop to check on the officer returned gunfire, according to police. Police said it’s under investigation whether Rincon also fired upon the officer.
The suspects sped away in a vehicle, which was later was found abandoned in an alley, a block away from where the shooting happened. A CHP helicopter responded to assist with the search for the suspects. The helicopter directed law enforcement to the location where one of the suspects was hiding.
Caudillo was found hiding in a back yard by members of the Merced Police SWAT Team, Merced Sheriff’s Department and the sheriff’s K9 division. Caudillo was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, and police believe the injuries were caused by officers firing upon the suspect vehicle as it sped away from the scene.
Police said Caudillo is expected to recover from his injuries. Rincon was located by officers around 11:30 a.m. hiding at a house on 21st Street. He fought with officers, but was taken into custody. Rincon did not suffer any gunshot wounds.
Lt. Matt Williams said two guns have been recovered as evidence in the case. Police believe one suspect tried to toss a gun into a backyard, while the other suspect tried to hide a gun in a garbage can. Williams said the officer was struck by bullets in his torso area and hand. The officer was wearing a protective vest.
Residents near the area reported hearing as many as a dozen gunshots.
Paul Gibbons, 47, a UC Merced professor who lives in the area, was one of the residents who heard the gunshots early Saturday morning. Gibbons said he was already awake and heard at least half a dozen gunshots, followed by the sound of police cars and sirens.
“It sounded like someone emptied a clip. Rapid fire — that’s what I heard,” Gibbons said. “Very occasionally we hear a gunshot (in this area), Gibbons said. “Sometimes it might be a firecracker, but this definitely wasn’t firecrackers.”
Gibbons said officers closed off the area Saturday morning and went door-to-door, searching back yards for the suspect. Gibbons said officers also searched the outside of his property. “They were going in everyone’s yard,” Gibbons said.
Earlier this month, police Chief Norman Andrade told the Merced City Council he was concerned about the number of assaults against Merced police officers reported in recent years. In a subsequent interview with the Sun-Star, Andrade described what he said was a troubling trend in officer assaults.
There were 22 cases in 2014 of Merced police officers being assaulted. In 2013, there were 31 cases where officers were assaulted and 32 cases in 2012. The department reported 23 cases in 2011 and 24 in 2010, according to statistics obtained by the Merced Sun-Star.
Detective Joe Deliman, president of the Merced Police Officers Association, said he was “frustrated” over the staffing levels at the department.
“This (incident) is another example of why we need more resources,” Deliman told the Sun-Star. “I think all the officers are extremely frustrated — it’s a constant battle with the city to get enough officers; it’s the jails being forced to let people out back onto the streets, the amount of overtime all the officers are working.”
During the last six months of 2014, the city spent more than $500,000 on police overtime due to short staffing levels, according to Chief Andrade.
Department statistics obtained by the Sun-Star also show that the number of incidents in which Merced police officers have used any type of force during an arrest have declined each year for the last four years.
Mayor Stan Thurston said he was relieved to hear the officer is expected to recover. Thurston said he shares the frustration, especially with the number of assaults on city police officers.
“This situation could’ve been much worse,” Thurston said. “We still don’t have the resources to put two officers in each patrol vehicle and that can make things dangerous at times.”
The City Council has been working on next year’s fiscal budget. Thurston said the council hopes to add a minimum of one police officer position to the department each year for the next five years.
“And we’ll do more than that, if we can,” Thurston said. “We need to add two detective positions, we need more patrolmen and we need at least a part-time traffic unit.”
Exactly what the city can do to possibly beef up the department is still unclear.
The last time a Merced police officer was shot was 11 years ago. Officer Stephan Gray, 34, was shot and killed while chasing a gang member on April 15, 2004. The killer, Tao Rivera, was captured after a nearly three-week manhunt and is now on death row at San Quentin State Prison.
Saturday’s incident was the first time a Merced police officer has fired at a suspect since April 26, 2014. In that case, robbery suspect Kandice M. Honiker, 27, pointed a loaded 9 millimeter semi-automatic Beretta at a police officer and was shot and killed by police.
Both men have been booked into the Merced County Jail on suspicion on attempted murder, being felons in possession of firearms and gang enhancements.
Police said Rincon was discharged from parole last month, while Caudillo was released from incarceration under AB 109 in October.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Merced Police Department at (209) 385-6905. Tips are confidential and callers may remain anonymous.
Copyright 2015 the Merced Sun-Star