Trial ordered for couple accused of injuring officer

EL CAJON

A man and woman accused of seriously injuring an El Cajon police officer, who was dragged about 200 yards down a roadway while clinging to an SUV, were ordered Thursday to stand trial on charges that include assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

David Francis Cepeda Pangilinan, 41, and Keani Flores, 28, are accused of trying to flee from police on Dec. 14, dragging Officer Nick Cirello down West Washington Avenue in the process.

Deputy District Attorney Clayton Carr said the SUV was traveling around 70 mph when Cirello, who had grabbed onto the open window, fell from the vehicle. The officer sustained injuries that included major head trauma, a brain bleed and broken bones.

The 28-year-old officer was hospitalized for nearly a week, he testified Thursday.

The officer initially responded to the scene because the driver was asleep behind the wheel of the SUV, a rented Volkswagen Atlas, which was parked in a resident’s driveway, according to testimony at the preliminary hearing.

Pangilinan is accused of speeding away in the Volkswagen, while Cirello was speaking with him and Flores, who police said was in the front passenger seat. Flores is accused of removing Cirello’s hands from the SUV’s passenger-side window, causing him to fall.

The SUV was found abandoned elsewhere in the city. According to testimony, the pair ditched the SUV near an El Cajon resident’s home, told the resident their car had broken down and asked him to call a cab for them.

Flores was arrested about a week later in Oakhurst, a city in Madera County.

Pangilinan was at large for nearly a month until he was arrested in Los Angeles County.

Pangilinan’s attorney, Patrick Kline, argued his client’s conduct didn’t rise to the level of assault as he merely attempted to drive away from Cirello. Kline said Pangilinan did not try to strike or run over the officer with the vehicle. He also argued that Flores’ decision to pry Cirello’s fingers off the window was a larger contributing factor to his injuries.

Flores’ attorney, Vikas Bajaj, denied that his client tried to get Cirello to let go of the window and largely “was a passenger who was literally along for the ride.”

Cirello started his law enforcement career as a police cadet in 2010 and was hired as a police officer in August 2018, according to the El Cajon Police Department.