Man gets prison term in YPD shooting case
Luis German Juarez was sentenced to a lengthy prison term Thursday in Yuma County Superior Court.
Juarez was convicted in May for his role in an incident in which three police officers were shot at with a .45-caliber pistol while they were documenting graffiti on a wall.
In handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Roger Nelson gave Juarez two 17-1/2 year prison terms, with credit for 1,109 days previously served, for two counts of aggravated assault.
He also sentenced Juarez to two 14-year prison terms, also with credit for 1,109 days previously served, for two counts of assisting a criminal street gang.
Juarez, who was represented by attorney Michael Donovan, was found guilty of the four offenses following a trial in May. The jury found him not guilty of eight other charges, including two counts of attempted first degree murder.
In a separate, unrelated case, Juarez was also sentenced to 2-1/2 years in prison, with credit for 288 days, for attempted theft of means of transportation.
In this case, in which he was represented by attorney Robert Trebilcock of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, Juarez pled guilty to the offense in a plea agreement in June.
All of the sentences are to be served concurrently, meaning Juarez will only serve a total of 17-1/2 years.
According to Yuma police, the shooting happened in August 2018 in the area of 22nd Street and Madison Avenue, as three officers from the Special Operations Group were at the location documenting graffiti on a wall and collecting evidence.
While there, two male suspects yelled something at the officers from across the street then suddenly started shooting at them.
When officers returned fire, the suspects fled on foot. Both suspects were located and taken into custody.
Also arrested and charged in the case was 17-year-old Kane Xavier Perez, who was sentenced in October 2019 to 10 years in prison for his role in the crime.