The sheriff's department on Friday identified the suspect who shot and seriously wounded a deputy in the neck during a shootout in November with the armed ex-con.
The gunman was identified as 29-year-old Monolito Alexander Guerra of Newhall. Guerra was on parole at the time of the shooting, according to the department.
Guerra was initially arrested on October 15, 2014 and was sentenced to state prison on February 2, 2016. He was serving a five-year term for evading arrest, a four-year term for a secondary charge of evading arrest and an eight-month term for assault with a deadly weapon, Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez said.
Guerra was paroled to the city of Santa Clarita on October 19, Navarro-Suarez said.
The shootout took place around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 28, at an apartment complex in the 21300 block of Bottletree Lane, Deputy Kelvin Moody of the Sheriff's Information Bureau said
Sheriff Jim McDonnell said the suspect (Guerra) was a parolee who had been released from prison about a month ago.
A boy, whose age was withheld, was taken into custody for questioning.
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The deputy, also 29, suffered a "through-and-through" wound to his neck, McDonnell said. The four-year veteran of the department was rushed to the hospital by fellow deputies.
"We are so thankful it worked out the way it did," McDonnell said.
"A quarter of an inch either way, it would have taken out his carotid (artery) or his spine. ... So, we're just very thankful that the results were what they were. Our best wishes to our deputy for a speedy recovery. The outcome could have been so much different today."
A woman had called authorities to report that someone pointed a gun at her as she was getting out of her vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.
Guerra fled near the pool area of the apartment complex, and deputies also learned that there was a possible second suspect.
"When deputies arrived on scene, they contacted the victim and began a search for the suspects," according to a sheriff's statement. "One of the suspects (Guerra), who was located in the parking area near the pool, fired his handgun towards the deputies and a deputy-involved shooting occurred. Four deputies were involved in the incident, one of (whom) suffered a gunshot wound to the neck."
Guerra was wounded at least once in the upper body, the sheriff's department reported.
The juvenile was found in a one of the apartments and was detained for questioning, but he was not arrested.
