Santee

A Santee man who had worked as a police reservist was ordered to Chino State Prison on Friday for a diagnostic study before sentencing on his two convictions for assault with a deadly weapon.

David Watson, 32, was convicted Feb. 28 of shooting his police pistol at a van traveling on Interstate 8 on Aug. 31 after the van’s passenger threw garbage at Watson’s car.

After his arrest, Watson lost his job with the San Diego Police Department and turned over his badge and gun.

Prison officials will evaluate Watson and give their recommendations to Judge Barbara Gamer as to whether she should grant probation or should send Watson to prison. Sentencing was rescheduled for July 24.

Watson testified at his trial that he fired the shots in self-defense as he was driving on the freeway at 3 a.m. He said the van’s occupants had committed a felony because they threw a bottle, a projectile, from a moving vehicle at his car.

The shots missed driver Randy Zummo, 32, and his passenger, Robert Tidmore, 25, both of San Diego, by inches, and one shot came after the van had pulled off the road.