Crime & Safety

Charges Filed Against Burglary Suspect Shot By Deputy

Joshua Jamez Gauthier, 24, has been charged with several crimes.

A man allegedly caught trying to burglarize a Menifee home and who pulled a gun on a deputy -- prompting the lawman to shoot him -- was charged today with attempted burglary and other felonies.

Joshua Jamez Gauthier, 24, was arrested Saturday morning following a confrontation with law enforcement that culminated in a pursuit and the defendant's eventual surrender in San Diego County.

Along with the burglary count, Gauthier is charged with felony vandalism and reckless driving.

The defendant, who is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside, was slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon.

According to Riverside County sheriff's officials, around 3:25 a.m. Saturday, deputies were called to the 23000 block of Norma Drive to investigate reports of a burglary in progress.

After arriving at the residence, the deputies spotted Gauthier walking away from the property, allegedly armed with a metal pipe, said sheriff's Sgt. Lisa McConnell.

She said Gauthier obeyed commands to drop the pipe but allegedly reached for his waistband and pulled a handgun from his pants, aiming at one of the deputies, who opened fire, striking Gauthier.

The defendant fled on foot, running to a Chevrolet pickup truck parked nearby and speeding out of the area, according to McConnell.

Deputies were soon on the defendant's tail, chasing him onto Interstate 15 southbound through Temecula, where the California Highway Patrol took over the pursuit, the sergeant said.

She said Gauthier's pickup became disabled by the time he reached Deer Springs Road and I-15 in Escondido, where he surrendered without incident.

He was transported to a hospital for treatment of a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and released to sheriff's deputies' custody Tuesday.

The deputy who fired the shots was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. --City News Service


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