Inmate Attempting to Flee in Cruiser Is Shot by Deputy

SANTA ANA —  An Orange County sheriff’s deputy shot and wounded a 27-year-old inmate along a busy street here Sunday after the diminutive prisoner slipped loose from his handcuffs while being transferred from County Jail and then attempted to commandeer the deputy’s cruiser, authorities said.

Frank J. Martinez of Santa Ana, who had been arrested the day before by Santa Ana police, was wounded twice in the right leg, while the deputy, whose name was being withheld by the department, was not injured in the scuffle.

After the episode, Martinez was taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange for treatment, then transferred to the jail ward at Western Medical Center in Anaheim, Sheriff’s Lt. Richard J. Olson said.

Olson said the 2:45 p.m. incident occurred as Martinez, arrested Saturday on suspicion of drunk driving, was being transported from the Theo Lacy Branch Jail to the intake release center in Santa Ana for medical treatment after suffering a seizure.

Martinez was sitting handcuffed in the back seat, sheriff’s officials said. A lone deputy was driving the cruiser.

During the trip, Martinez, who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighs about 125 pounds, apparently worked one hand free from his handcuffs, Olson said.

Martinez then slipped his arm through the partially open plexiglass partition that separates the front and back seats, Olson said. The deputy had opened the sliding-glass window to better communicate with Martinez, Olson said.

As the cruiser approached the intersection of Washington Avenue and Bristol Street, the slender Martinez pulled himself completely through the opening, hoisted himself into the front seat and tried to wrest the deputy’s gun from its holster, Olson said.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of anyone getting through the window,” Olson said. “It’s a small window.”

The cruiser veered out of control as the deputy and Martinez struggled, striking the east curb of Bristol Street and coming to a stop against a water pipe.

At that point, the deputy jumped out of the car and yanked on Martinez’s shirt, attempting to pull the prisoner through the door on the driver’s side, Olson said.

But instead, Martinez’s shirt ripped off in the deputy’s hands, sending the law officer careening backward, he said.

As the deputy lost his balance and fell away from the car, Martinez attempted to drive off in the cruiser, Olson said. The deputy fired three rounds at the fleeing vehicle and two struck Martinez in the upper thigh of his right leg, preventing him from accelerating, the spokesman said.

As the cruiser came to a stop, it struck a Volkswagen van heading northbound on Bristol Street, Olson said. No one in the van was injured, he said.

Sheriff’s officials refused to release the names of witnesses in the van while the investigation is pending.

Olson also would not comment on department guidelines about the standard procedures for transporting inmates. He would not say whether there are rules that state when it is appropriate for deputies to leave the partition open.

“I wouldn’t get involved in those specifics right now,” Olson said. “The purpose of the window is to communicate with the inmate. This guy was being moved back for medical reasons.”

The window partition slides sideways and is designed to shield officers from prisoners during transport.

Olson said the Orange County district attorney will investigate the shooting and will determine whether charges will be filed. Olson declined to say how long the deputy has been on the force.