Nearly three years after a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy was shot in the neck during a shootout on Bottletree Lane in Newhall, a parolee from the area was held to answer Monday to 11 charges in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Monolito Guerra, 32, of Newhall, stands accused of three counts of attempted murder, five counts of assault with a firearm, one count of shooting at an occupied vehicle, possession of a firearm by a felon and resisting arrest, according to Greg Risling, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
His formal arraignment, when Guerra is expected to enter his plea to the charges, is scheduled for Nov. 30.
A report released by investigators with the D.A.’s Office in September 2019, which declared sheriff’s deputies were justified in their use of lethal force in the shooting of Guerra, noted deputies found Guerra hiding under a sunshade in the back seat of a Ford Fusion right after a report of an armed robbery in the neighborhood on Nov. 28, 2017.
Deputy Albert White opened the rear passenger door on the driver’s side, saw Guerra grab a revolver and instructed Guerra to freeze, according to the D.A.’s Office.
“Guerra fired his revolver at White, shooting him one time in the neck, as Guerra ‘propelled himself’ out of the car. White fired several rounds at Guerra, and then fell down on the sidewalk adjacent to the Ford Fusion. White heard another gunshot and believed Guerra had shot him in the back. … White last saw Guerra standing to the rear of the Ford Fusion, groaning and holding his midsection.”
White survived his injuries and has since returned to work for the Sheriff’s Department.
Prior to the 2017 shooting, Guerra was arrested Oct. 15, 2014, and ultimately sentenced to state prison on Feb. 2, 2016, to terms of 4 years, 5 years and 8 months, to be served concurrently, for a pair of felony evading arrest and assault with a deadly weapon convictions, respectively, according to Sheriff’s Department officials.
Guerra served less than two years before he received parole on Oct. 19, 2017. He returned to Santa Clarita, and not long after, he was shot multiple times in the shootout on Bottletree Lane, according to Lt. Joe Mendoza, of the Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau, who’s part of the investigation for Guerra’s most recent allegations.
Guerra remains in custody in lieu of more than $5 million bail until his arraignment. His maximum exposure to the charges would be a life sentence, according to Risling.
