Man who ran at officer with crowbar sentenced to prison

A man who pleaded guilty to charging at an Escondido police officer with a crowbar last year, prompting the officer to shoot him, was sentenced Monday to nearly four years in prison.

Rosendo Sandoval Quezada, 45, admitted charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and attempted burglary in connection with the early morning shooting on June 19, 2020.

Escondido police were initially called after a report that Quezada was outside his ex-wife’s home in violation of a restraining order.

About 3:45 a.m., police stopped Quezada’s car near Broadway and Washington Avenue. After stopping, Quezada got out of his car clutching the 3-foot crowbar and ran toward Officer Tim Hamilton, who then shot Quezada in his abdomen, according to police.

Police performed CPR before paramedics arrived.

The following month, the Escondido Police Department released video that included footage from Hamilton’s body-worn camera. The video does not begin until just after the shooting occurred. According to the department, Hamilton did not activate his camera until after discharging his weapon.

As seen in the video, Quezada said something to the effect of “Just kill me. I want to die’” while holding the crowbar over his head and charging at Hamilton. The officer backpedaled, firing his gun.

The crowbar can be seen in the video on the roadway near Quezada, who is lying in the street repeating, “I want to die.” Hamilton handcuffs a prone Quezada and tells him, “You’re not going to die” several times.