The man charged in the shooting of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department motorcycle deputy who was struck by gunfire at a West Covina stoplight pleaded not guilty Monday to attempted murder and other charges.
Raymundo Duran, 47, of Covina, remains jailed without bond in the April 22 shooting of Deputy Samuel Aispuro, who was in uniform on his department motorcycle when he was shot in the back. Sheriff Robert Luna said the bullet was stopped by his protective vest, which likely saved the deputy's life.
Duran was scheduled to return to court June 18 for a hearing to determine if there's enough envidence for the case to proceed to trial.
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He was arrested on the night of the shooting at the California Highway Patrol San Onofre inspection center in San Diego County on suspicion of DUI and weapon possession. Duran was interviewed by investigators with the LA County Sheriff's Department, who arrested him after reviewing security camera video from the shooting scene and witness statements.
A gun was found in the 2008 silver Toyota Camry that he was driving, Luna said.
Duran was charged April 24 with one count each of attempted murder, assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
District Attorney George Gascón noted that Duran had previously served time in prison.
Aispuro has been with the sheriff's department for nearly 20 years and is married with two children, ages 4 and 2. He was able to report the shooting to his law enforcement colleagues, Luna said. Several witnesses rushed to help the injured deputy.
"They went immediately to aid our deputy," Luna said. "Eventually their information became very important. In our eyes, you're heroes."
