A fugitive who, in an escape attempt, dragged a National City Police officer clinging to a truck’s window will spend seven years in state prison.
A judge handed down the sentence Wednesday to 30-year-old Jesus Gustavo Leos, a South Bay man who pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer and other charges, including child endangerment.
“He's being responsible for what he did,” said Deputy District Attorney John Dunlap. “Secondly it takes somebody who is dangerous off the streets. Thirdly one of the crimes the defendant committed was an assault in local prison in sheriff’s custody. This will get the defendant to state prison.”
Leos prompted a manhunt on April 16 as officers tried to arrest him on a warrant in National City. Police spotted him in a white truck, riding with a woman and a 1-year-old child.
When officers approached Leos, who was behind the wheel, police say he threw the truck in reverse as one of the officers held on to the side of his truck. The officer suffered minor injuries, and a second cop fired his weapon at Leos, striking him in the arm.
Leos drove off, plowed through a chain-link gate at a nearby church and bailed out at La Vista Memorial Park and Mortuary. Officers soon found him hiding in a shed on cemetery grounds. He was taken into custody, shirtless and bloodied.
“When you look at this case it is very fortunate that the officer was not hurt even more seriously than he was hurt,” said Dunlap, “but there was a 1-year-old child in the car when the defendant tried to flee from police, and just think how close the defendant came from causing a far more serious crime and hurting someone very seriously.”
Local
At his sentencing, Leos was still wearing a sling for his arm wound. His wife joined him in court. Neither Leos’ defense attorney nor his wife wanted to comment following the sentencing.
