SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A 58-year-old woman who pointed what turned out to be a pellet gun at two San Diego police officers who followed her into a downtown parking structure following a hit-and-run crash pleaded guilty Wednesday to a pair of felony counts of resisting an executive officer by threat or violence.
Mona Elease Williams faces a maximum of eight years and four months in state prison when she is sentenced Dec. 21.
On the third day of the defendant's preliminary hearing, Deputy District Attorney Michael Runyon dismissed allegations that Williams personally used a deadly weapon in the crimes. He said that because he couldn't prove that the pellet gun was loaded, the allegations had to be dismissed.
Williams -- who has convictions for burglary in 1986 and assault in 2003 and was sent to prison in 2015 -- would have faced 62 years to life behind bars if convicted as charged.
The defendant's good friend, Lisa Wilson, testified that Williams texted "death by cop" hours before the June 3 confrontation with officers.
In body-worn camera video recorded as Williams was arrested, she is seen frantically trying to explain to Officer Ronald Hamilton that she is bipolar and off her medications.
"She told me she wanted to harm herself," Hamilton testified.
The officer said Williams was acting erratically, breathing heavily and was showing signs consistent with someone under the influence of methamphetamine.
Minutes earlier, an officer followed Williams after a motorist trying to find a parking space told the officer that Williams -- driving Wilson's car - - hit her from behind and took off.
Runyon said Williams was spotted in the car near the entrance to the First Avenue city parking structure by an officer who thought he saw a gun pointed at him.
Williams proceeded to the top of the parking structure and pointed the pellet gun at an officer, who fired two shots at her but missed.
Another responding officer accidentally shot himself in the leg during the incident.
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