A California police dispatcher told two officers before he was shot and killed by a convicted gang member that the suspect had a gun and was under the influence of PCP and methamphetamine, according to a 911 recording. It is said that he did not tell them that he was being harassed.
Officer Joseph Santana, 31, of the El Monte Police Department and Corporal. Michael Paredes, 42, was ambushed and killed on June 14, 2022, while responding to a report of a stabbing at a motel near Los Angeles. Another police officer was also injured. The gunman, Justin Flores, was then shot and killed.
The 911 call was made by Maria Zepeda, who reported that her daughter had been stabbed by her 35-year-old husband, Flores, at the Siesta Inn, Southern California News Group reported Saturday.
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During the seven-minute call, Zepeda repeatedly told dispatchers that Flores had a recent history of violence toward his daughter, was under the influence of PCP and meth, and was armed and dangerous.
“He’s on PCP. He’s got a gun!” Zepeda said during the call.
But that information was not radioed by the dispatcher who dispatched three officers to the motel, the news group said.
El Monte Police Officer Joseph Santana and Corporal. Michael Paredes was ambushed and killed while responding to a stabbing call on June 14, 2022. The report confirms that they were not informed over the radio that the suspect was armed and affiliated with the PCP. (Fox News)
Investigators say Flores ambushed the officers when they confronted them.
Detective Amber Montenegro, the lead investigator on the case, acknowledged that dispatchers failed to alert officers over the radio that Flores had a gun and might be using drugs. But that information is entered into a computer-aided dispatch system and can be viewed by responding officers on computer terminals in patrol cars, Montenegro said.
“They definitely had all the information in the box before they arrived so they could see and review the call,” Montenegro said in a December 2023 meeting with Santana’s family. Told.
Montenegro said the dispatchers should not be blamed. “You can’t put all of this on one person,” she said.
Santana’s sister, Jessica Santana, said she believes dispatchers should have relayed the information over the radio.
“I feel like it would have been different if they had been vocal,” Santana said. “That’s what fascinates me, because my brother would still be here.”
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Court records show Flores was on probation for gun charges at the time of the shooting, which occurred a day after his probation officer asked him to appear in court later that month.
El Monte Police Chief Jake Fischer said he supports the actions of dispatchers and officers. Fisher told reporters that the department is actively working with the Sheriff’s Office and District Attorney’s Office to complete the final stages of the investigation.
“We fully expect the findings of this investigation to be valid and look forward to law enforcement formally releasing all those involved and closing the investigation,” Fisher said.
