SAN DIEGO—A 30-year-old man was arrested June 14 for allegedly shooting a San Diego Police Department (SDPD) officer last week during a pursuit in a Chollas Creek-area neighborhood.
J.C. Blake Sartor of San Diego was taken into custody at about 12:30 p.m. in the 8700 block of Spectrum Center Boulevard in Kearny Mesa, SDPD Chief David Nisleit told news crews during a mid-afternoon briefing.
Sartor is expected to face a charge of attempted murder of a peace officer.
Nisleit credited the arrest to a “phenomenal” department-wide effort.
“I will say this—this suspect’s capture is the result of a lot of great investigative police work and tenacity,” the police chief told reporters during the news conference at downtown police headquarters. “As I told you last week, we would not stop working [on] this case.”
The events that led to the shooting began shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday, 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 pulled over, got out of the vehicle, and ran off, prompting a foot chase.
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 said. The shooter then disappeared into the neighborhood.
Despite an intensive multi-agency search that stretched through the day, the assailant was able to escape.
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, the police chief said.
