STOCKTON, Calif. — The Stockton Police Department has released sketches of two people they believe were involved in the recent shooting of a sergeant.
In the early morning of Aug. 2, a Stockton police sergeant – whom the department has not identified - was shot in the chest and shoulder. It happened in a neighborhood near the intersection of East March Lane and North El Dorado Street, as he was investigating a carjacking and began chasing a suspect vehicle.
"It's very brazen that somebody would actually fire at an officer. That is very scary for us,” said Stockton Police Department spokesperson Officer David Scott.
Within hours, a San Joaquin County SWAT team entered an apartment complex near the shooting and detained several people. Later that day, police arrested 20-year-old Sunthawon “Benny” Savon, charging him with the carjacking and attempted murder of the police sergeant.
Savon faces a long list of other charges, including committing a felony while on felony probation. He was convicted earlier this year of illegal possession of an assault weapon and was sentenced to two years’ probation. Savon was about four months into that probation when he was accused of committing the Aug. 2 crimes. He is now facing a sentence of 25 years to life.
“Given the seriousness of this crime, the brazen attack on a peace officer, I think enhancements are appropriate in this case…To any sentence, it adds time on to any possible sentence, should he be convicted,” San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Lee Neves said after Savon’s initial court appearance. “The man was shot multiple times. You bet we’re going to go for life.”
Three weeks after the shooting, Stockton Police released surveillance video, showing three people running from the scene. Now, the department has released sketches of who they believe are the other two suspects. Stockton police say they are in their late teens or early 20s.
As for the sergeant who was shot, the Stockton Police Officers Association says he “is a Stockton native and seven-year veteran of the U.S. Army… Besides being an exemplary Sergeant, who performed with remarkable bravery, he is a husband and father to two young children and an active member of his church community.”
Asked for an update on the sergeant Monday, a Stockton Police Department spokesperson told ABC10 the man is doing well and still recovering at home.
Anyone with information on this case can contact the Stockton Police Department.
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