Escondido

Man Shot by Escondido Officer for Crowbar Charge Sentenced Nearly Four Years

Last June, the defendant got out of his car clutching the 3-foot prying tool and ran toward Officer Tim Hamilton, who responded by shooting him in the abdomen, police said

A man who pleaded guilty to charging at an Escondido police officer with a crowbar, prompting the lawman to shoot him, was sentenced on Monday to nearly four years in state prison.

Rosendo Sandoval Quezada, 45, pleaded guilty to assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and attempted burglary in connection with the June 19, 2020, early morning shooting.

Escondido police were initially called on a report that Quezada was outside his ex-wife's home in violation of a restraining order.

About 3:45 a.m., shortly after the call to police was made, Quezada's car was stopped near the intersection of Broadway and Washington Avenue. After pulling to a halt, Quezada got out of his car clutching the 3-foot prying tool and ran toward Officer Tim Hamilton, who responded by shooting him in the abdomen, according to police.

Police performed CPR on Quezada before the arrival of paramedics, who took the Escondido resident to Palomar Medical Center.

The following month, the Escondido Police Department released video that included footage from Hamilton's body camera. However, the body camera video does not begin until just after the shooting occurred. According to the department, Hamilton did not activate his camera until after discharging his weapon.

According to the publicly released video, Quezada said something to the effect of "Just kill me, I want to die" while charging Hamilton with the crowbar over his head as the officer backpedaled, firing.

The crowbar can be seen lying in the roadway near Quezada, who is heard repeating, "I want to die," while lying in the street. Hamilton can be seen handcuffing a prone Quezada and telling him, "You're not going to die" several times.

Hamilton, who has been with the Escondido Police Department for about four years, was placed on administrative leave following the shooting.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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