Crime Spree Suspect Goes to Trial

Cindy Garcia, 18, faces 16 felony charges

A teenager accused in a violent two-day crime spree will stand trial.

Cindy Garcia, 18, faces 16 felony counts, including attempted murder of a peace officer. In the last day of her preliminary hearing this week, a detective recounted what Garcia told him after her arrest, saying she was uncooperative.

Garcia said her husband woke her up in a frenzy, on the night they allegedly committed their first crime.

The couple’s crime spree began Oct. 29 with a car fire in 2600 block of East Mission Bay Drive. An hour later, a man was shot in Hillcrest in the1200 block of Upas Street.

Read: Timeline of Violent Crime Spree

Then, around 9 a.m., a man was robbed in Mission Valley East. Hours later, veteran off-duty SDPD officer Les Stewart was robbed and shot in the head while using an ATM in Escondido.

A carjacking at a Sam’s Club in Oak Park followed. Later in Chula Vista, the stolen car was found on fire.

Garcia's husband Phillip Hernandez later died Halloween night in a gun battle between police when police discovered his location. She was arrested at the scene.

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