SAN DIEGO — A man who allegedly shot a San Diego police officer, then spent nearly a week on the lam, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges that include attempted murder of a peace officer.
J.C. Blake Sartor, 30, is charged with last Thursday's gunfire that left a lawman with a gunshot wound in the arm. Sartor was taken into custody Wednesday in Kearny Mesa.
The wounded officer -- who was recruited by the SDPD in July 2021 and has been on active duty for about six months -- is expected to make a full recovery, according to San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit.
The events that led to the shooting began shortly after 11 a.m. June 8, when the officer, whose name has not been made public, spotted a stolen truck being driven on University Avenue near 54th Street and started following it in his cruiser, according to police.
A short time later, the suspected auto thief was pulled over, got out of the vehicle and ran off, prompting a foot chase, according to police.
In the 5200 block of Wightman Avenue, the fleeing man turned and fired on the officer, discharging several rounds and wounding the patrolman in the right arm, police alleged. The shooter then disappeared into the neighborhood.
Despite an intensive multi-agency search that stretched through the day, the assailant was able to escape.
No new details regarding the shooting, or Sartor's capture, were disclosed during his arraignment Friday afternoon. He remains in custody without bail.
After the hearing, Deputy District Attorney Clay Biddle said, "There is no place for this type of senseless violence in this community and any time someone tries to kill a cop, that person will be found, they'll be charged and they'll be prosecuted accordingly under the law."
In addition to attempted murder, Sartor is charged with assault on a peace officer with a semi-automatic firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, vehicle theft and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
His criminal history includes convictions for vehicle theft, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and methamphetamine possession. He is also charged in an ongoing East County case with reckless evading and possessing a stolen vehicle.
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